With the dark nights drawing in, the thought of exercising outside or going to the gym after work may be diminishing. The winter is long and it can be very easy to slip into bad habits and undo all of the hard work you have done this year to keep fit and healthy, so what can you do to try and maintain all that excellent work, whilst enjoying the festivities and winter breaks?
One of the big things I've been working on a lot with my clients post covid is habit tracking. This is where my client identifies areas they know they need to improve on - simple things which could make a big difference to improving their health.
Choosing which and how many habits to track is entirely up to you, but it's really important to choose ones where you have to work a little bit to achieve but are realistic. There is no point choosing a huge list with unrealistic targets as you may never reach them. This will demotivate you and then ultimately you will give up with the journey!
Let's look at some examples simple habits you can track this autumn/winter:
1. Daily steps
We have all known for quite a few years that we should be aiming to achieve around 10,000 steps per day. When it's dark and wet you are less inclined, so if you can try to get your steps done early in the day. If you can't, try to get them done as soon as you finish work before you sit down or relax otherwise the chances are you won’t ever do them.
2. Drink water
Water makes up 70% of our body so it's super important for various functions in our body. Water helps with digestion, sleep, recovery and concentration to name a few, but during the winter the tendency can be to drink more hot drinks. This is normal, but try to balance this out with water, rather than substitute it.
3. Eat fruit and veg
5 portions a day is the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables you should be eating a day, not only to maintain a balanced healthy nutrition plan but as the winter kicks in, this will help your immune system and keep those nasty colds away. Balance your intake of fruit to veg and vary the types you eat. Not only will this be more interesting but it will keep the eyes excited by what they see on your plates each day.
4. Get off your phone
Easier said than done in today's day and age, but with the average person spending 8-10 hours per day checking texts, emails, watching YouTube or general social media content, it can be very easy to ‘chill’ and do nothing else. Ditch the phone and go for a walk or do a simple 15-20 minute workout to get the heart pumping, release those endorphins and feel good. Another point to add, is get off the white light devices by 9pm and allow the brain to unwind and relax in preparation for sleep. Don't lay in bed reading or scrolling right before sleep. Several of my clients have this habit where they turn their phones off at 9 or 10pm, an hour before sleep.
5. Monitor calories
If during the winter your exercise levels drop, reduce your calories accordingly. If you maintain your calorie intake as when you are more active in the summer, those excess calories will be a surplus, which you will store and the result will be a weight gain, which none of us want! Try downloading the MYFITNESSPAL app and you can track everything you are eating against your age, activity level and calorie requirements.If you want to continue eating the same, then you will have to maintain your exercise or potentially increase it as the types of foods you eat change over the winter.
In summary, you can choose any of the above or completely different habits, but write them down, keep them somewhere obvious, like on the fridge door and record them at the end of each day once you have done them. Don’t worry too much if some days you miss some, but try the next day to hit it!
