This time of year is often difficult to keep up our health and fitness habits.
I don’t know about you but as soon as the clocks change and days get shorter, the nights longer and the whole thing gets darker I want to hibernate a little.
It’s often difficult to get up early in the dark mornings or go back out in the cold dark evenings.
We tend to move less in Winter with shorter days and the challenges of cold weather.

The third challenge is that the shops are now full of hyper palatable, calorie dense, comfort foods

Combine this trinity with the ‘party season’ and our tendency for ‘all or nothing thinking’ and it’s very easy to wreck your goals and set yourself back.
It’s very common for people to ‘chuck it in the f****t bucket’ in November to start again in January. This is often late January feeling awful about themselves!
This way of thinking is what hampers progress. You do not need to do everything 100%. Imperfect action is how you achieve progress.
The way to deal with Winter is to treat it as ‘maintenance’. If you have a fat loss goal, manage your expectations and try not to gain fat over this time.
‘Winter’ for the purposes of this post is pretty much November and December.
Here are the 5 tips to not let it ruin your goals.
- Do what you can each day. Today you might be active, you might get a gym session in, you might hit your protein goal. Celebrate each win, make sure you win at something each day. You don’t need to win them all everyday.
- Enlist help from friends or trainers. Have an appointment to go to the gym, a class or a walk this holds you more accountable and ensures you are more likely to go.
- Stick to protein breakfasts and lunches, the more routine you have, the easier it is later in the day. Think protein whilst eating out. Plan ahead on menus for the best protein options. Winter illnesses ( I write this whilst coughing ) need lots of high quality nutrients. I’m not going to tell you to dupe your mash potatoes with cauliflower purée ( it’s a good tip if you are doing keto). I am going to tell you to fill up on a rainbow of fruits and vegetables.
- Plan ahead on alcohol. Spirits and diet mixers or sparkling wine have less sugar than wine or beer. Pass on the cocktails and shots. Too much alcohol wrecks sleep. It also amplifies anxiety and can often lead to us feeling badly about ourselves. I promise you that you are only 1 gym session away from feeling back in control. If you’ve ‘overdone’ it get a workout in as soon as you feel able.
- Commit to the date when you are back on track. Goals without actions are dreams. Book your classes, personal trainer sessions and group walks asap. Don’t ’leave it until after Christmas’. I have years of experience of this actually ending up the third week of January. This coincides with the worst weather, the emptiest bank accounts and often the poorest view of ourselves. ‘Blue Monday’, feeling fat and unfit is a marketers dream and a recipe for mental health disaster.
This year, cut yourself some slack! Enjoy the season, get steps in where you can, go to the gym when you can, eat nutritious food when you can. Don’t put your self worth on whether you managed to do everything. It’s Winter, we are meant to rest more. Just not all the time!
Best advice:
Sign up with me now to get you through December ahead of the January madness, whilst you still enjoy your parties and good food. Imperfect action, building muscle, utilising the protein and calories and mitigating fat gain.
Second option get signed up to start w/c 6th January and get the plans moving. Don’t leave it as an intention. Goals are dreams if they have no actions.
#wintering #winterhealth #winterfitness