5 Ways to Keep You Active Over the Cold Months

The dark times are upon us. I am no Stark but the winter is coming 🙂 We all could do with a cunning plan top keep us going to the gym even with the uninviting weather.

PAIR UP – FIND A GYM BUDDY

This seems to be the best solution for so many people. When the alarm goes off and you are so tempted to snooze or just switch it off the one thing that will make you get up is the though of your friend waiting or you at the gym. And whether it is about not allowing them to get fitter than you 🙂 or simply not letting them down – it works. Be wise choosing one though. It’s great to train with someone who is on similar fitness level or even better – fitter than you. It will be a great motivation. if you are easily persuaded NOT to exercise, ensure your buddy is the opposite…

HAVE A LONG TERM GOAL FOR AFTER THE WINTER

Signing up for a race, be it running or cycling, is a great way to keep you on track. Especially if you had to pay an entry fee!

LET’S GO OUTSIDE!

WHAT??!! I hear you say. Yes, you have heard me right. In my running days cold and crispy mornings were the best for running. But if you are not into running or cycling outdoors, try one of the boot camp outdoors classes. BMF (British Military Fitness) run classes all over London’s parks. The first one is free. Try it. If being trained by a soldier is a bit too much to handle, there are many other outdoors classes to choose from. There is a great option for women: classes run by women instructors for women participants. Check out Fit For a Princess here. You can pay membership or drop in and pay in cash.

The benefits of exercising outdoors are immense: fresh air, boost to the immune system, no gym smells and a great sense of achievement at the end of each class.

To find something that suits you go out to your local park one morning and see what’s on offer.

TAKE ON A GYM CHALLENGE

Like the one I am running: Izabela’s 50 Class Cycle SMART Challenge where you have to complete 50 classes in 120 days starting from 1 November. You can get more details here. Even more is coming up in the next week. Both here and on my FB page.

THERE IS AN APP FOR THAT

There are so many apps out there that I can see people use. My personal favourite is 100+ push ups. Browse the web, ask people at the gym when you see them use one. Have you already found one worth sharing? I would love to hear about it in the comments.

When it comes to indoor cycling try Ride Buddy from Cycling Fusion link here.

If you train on MatrixIC7 bikes they have their own Coach by Colour app. Some rides are free some you have to pay for but if you like training with colour zones but you feel a bit lost without instructor’s guidelines, this is a great alternative (here).

Another one worth checking out is Peloton app for iPads here.

Some of these are free others are not. The other option would be using YouTube videos or training videos that you can stream. But there are hundreds out there. Not all of them are great. Sufferfest are really, really good: great quality, easy to follow instructions but boy are they hard! This is the real deal guys. The clue is in the name…here.

Have you tried any of these? Has it worked for you? Any recommendations?