Ideas To Help You Stick With Your Fitness Routine This Winter

We all know how difficult it can be to stay committed to your fitness routine, whatever that looks like for you, during the winter months. It’s all too tempting to settle down at home on a cold, dark evening and watch Netflix, or stay sitting at your desk in the office at lunchtime to avoid the rain.

However this is actually the time when the foundations of year long fitness are laid. Maybe you want to have a stronger and healthier body for summer, or you would like to have more energy to play with your kids? Whatever your goals, winter is the time to knuckle down and train hard, and Andrew from Lighthouse Adventure Fitness has some ideas to help you stay motivated and keep moving.

1. Keep It Interesting.

While some people can stick to the same routine day in, day out, most of us will get bored and lose traction with training. Simply put, your routine needs to keep you interested and you need to keep seeing results to keep you motivated. By switching up your routine you are far more likely to stay focused and keep hitting the gym throughout the winter.

Speak to your PT to get some ideas on how to keep your training stimulating, or try something new that compliments your usual routine such as a pilates class or some boxing lessons. Where to go for a new and exciting class is actually quite easy here in Guernsey with so many trainers and gyms offering an array of classes. Many of the gyms will even offer a trial session where you can jump in and try a class with no pressure of joining up.

2. Avoid Plateaus.

Our bodies are incredible at adapting to stimuli, especially if these stimuli are repeated often. But this can lead to plateaus in strength and skills, which in turn can lead to a dip in enthusiasm. By embracing a couple of fundamental tenets of strength and fitness training you will find your plateaus are minimised, helping you to learn new skills, gain new levels of strength and stay motivated.

There are two ways to achieve this: Periodisation and Progressive Overload.

Periodisation is the manipulation of training variables in order to optimise your performance. Put simply, it means switching up your weights, sets and repetitions, and also switching up the type of movement you include in your routine, in a planned way to get the best results for your body.

Progressive Overload is where you steadily increase the load or intensity of your workout. For example if you started with a 20 minute run, the progressive overload can work like this: week 1 - 20 minutes, week 2 - 25 minutes, week 3 - 30 minutes. This steady build up should be achievable but also challenging, to keep your gains coming.

3. Switch It Up To Avoid Injury.

Training the same way each session is highly likely to lead to overtraining, which generally means an injury is hiding around the corner. By switching up your routine your body becomes far more mobile and stable which leads to more resilience and fewer injuries.

So book a goal setting session with a coach. Many gyms - including Lighthouse Adventure Fitness - offer this goal setting session for free and will help you find the best path forward. A good coach will also keep you accountable and excited about your training, so choose what's right for you and don't settle for any old training programme.

4. Make It A Social Experience.

We are social creatures and most of us thrive in a community of like minded and supportive peers. Going to new classes can really help to expand your community, which can be just the tonic you need to help you stick to your training. After all it is far harder to say no to a group of friends than it is to not show up for yourself. So chat to your friends or work colleagues and join them in a workout or class. The shared camaraderie of a challenging gym session can do wonders for your relationships.

5. Have Fun With It.

Whatever your age or fitness level, training is always better when it’s fun. It not only makes us feel healthier and happier, we also crave more of it. Learning a new skill at a fitness class can be so much more enjoyable when you are surrounded by great people and have a good coach supporting you. The options for moving and training are endless - your imagination may just need a kickstart.

If you’re looking for more inspiration, 7 Steps To Creating A Health & Fitness Routine That Works can help you make simple changes and implement a fitness routine that works for you.

Meet Andrew...

When a bomb blast in Afghanistan ended Andrew’s army career early he turned to training to help deal with PTSD and to restore his physical health; something he had previously taken for granted. He returned to Guernsey with his young family and, together with his wife Kirsty, founded Lighthouse Adventure Fitness, which focuses on family, health, fitness and longevity, providing services that are designed to compliment a busy lifestyle.

Andy is a Personal Trainer who draws on his experiences from an active youth, military service, coaching and raising two active boys to provide community based health and fitness coaching. You can read Andy’s Listed story here and find out more about the services that Lighthouse Adventure Fitness offers over here.