Fit for Life: 5 Things to Keep You on Point with Your Health and Fitness Through the Winter

Saturday, October 17, 2020

Matt Espeut, Health + Lifestyle Contributor

Don’t slip and fall this winter!!

So, it’s that time of the year again.

The temperature is dropping, the days are getting shorter, and with the upcoming time change, it will be dark before 5 pm.

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To some people, this is a depressing situation, and when we get depressed, we lack motivation.

When we lack motivation, we start to let our self-care slip, and when that happens, we become more susceptible to getting sick due to a suppressed immune system.

Personally, I like the change of seasons, cooler air, and watching the leaves change, however, I am not a fan of shorter days and darkness before I leave work. It’s the short period between Halloween and Thanksgiving that I enjoy, but when December hits, the reality of winter and snow sets in.

As I said earlier, it isn’t uncommon for some people to fall off their health and fitness routine and leave themselves prone to sickness. We get super busy during the September & October months, but when November and December roll around, we start to see a decline in engagement.

I wanted to give you a few tips to stay focused, so you won’t gain unwanted weight and to keep your immune system strong throughout the winter months.

The truth of the matter is, you DON’T want to get sick, or start over again when January rolls around.

Although that is never our intention, it tends to happen to a lot of people, but can be avoided if you implement a simple strategy to your daily routine.

Plan your day & schedule EVERYTHING in your calendar. This needs to be done the night before, so you have a list ready to go before you start your day. If you organize your time, you will never have the “I didn’t have time to work out” excuse.

We work for 8-12 hours, then sleep for 8, so the leaves us with 4-8 hours to get important things done.

Your workout should be in that time span. I highly recommend scheduling your workouts for the week on Sunday night, and treat that appointment like a doctor’s appointment.

You wouldn’t blow off a doctor’s appointment for any reason, so treat your workouts with the same importance. Remember, the more you work out and stay fit and healthy, the less chance you will have of needing a doctor.

After you plan your schedule, prepare for the day the night before by packing your gym bag, and prepping some healthy food for the following day. Even if you like to cook your food fresh for the day, get all the ingredients together the night before.

When you do this, you go to sleep with a clear head, and you wake ready to conquer the day.

Get to bed at a time that allows you 8 hours of sleep. Even if you have trouble sleeping, give yourself time to rest. When you lack sleep, you lose motivation, and will most likely fall off your routine. When you are exhausted, working out is the last thing you will want to do.

You will also make poor choices with your nutrition due to low leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone that tells your body when you’re full, and it also tells your body when to create energy (i.e., burn calories) to fuel your activities.

BUT … when you don’t get enough sleep, your body doesn’t have enough of it, and you feel tired and hungry all day long. This makes your brain think you don’t have enough energy … which leads to a signal to eat … PLUS another signal to store the calories you eat as backup for the energy shortage. All this along with poor food choices is a recipe for disaster, so be sure to get your sleep!!

Focus on nutrition and supplementation to keep your immune system strong.

This is the best defense and it comes from within.

How you eat is the biggest factor in staying strong and healthy through the winter and the Covid pandemic.

It’s easier to eat fresh fruits and vegetables in the summer because they are more available, and more desirable that time of year.

We tend to shift to comfort foods, and overcooked vegetables in soups and stews when the weather gets colder. This is good, but raw or slightly cooked veggies retain more nutrients, and eating a raw apple will be more beneficial than apple pie!

Supplementation becomes essential this time of year. I start the day with a Wellness shot, & a scoop of Ageless Greens from The Tru Lean supplement line. It is nearly impossible to get enough vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from food alone, so it is essential that we go above and beyond to build immunity from colds and flu. You can find everything you need at pfbbcfuel.com

Hydration is another essential that gets overlooked in the colder months. It’s easy to get your required water intake in (1/2 your body weight in ounces daily) when you are hot and sweaty, but when you are cold all the time, water is less desirable.

It’s best to get a water bottle and measure it out beforehand. If you need 100 oz. daily and you have a 25-ox water bottle, you will need to drink 4 bottles for the day.

This is required for optimal performance on every cellular level. It is possible to get dehydrated in the winter too, so be sure to get your proper water intake under control. Tru Lean makes a water additive without sugar and artificial sweeteners, and when you add a scoop or packet to your water, it gets really easy to drink!

The last tip for today is to find a battle buddy to help keep you accountable. You can work out together and get nutrition ideas from each other. It’s easier to let yourself down, than to let someone that’s counting on you down, so having a workout partner, is extremely effective.

Our members at Providence Fit Body Boot Camp have their coaches to answer to but having a battle buddy is another level of commitment and accountability. We made October accountability month for our members and encouraged everyone to find a person to hold them accountable to their goals, and its working out great, so do it for yourself and someone else!!

That’s all for this week. Now is the time for you to stay focused and not lose everything you worked so hard for all year round. Yes, its blanket on the couch & comfort food time, but it’s NOT the time to let your health fall by the wayside. Implement these few tips and lessen your chances of getting sick and gaining weight throughout the winter.

Committed to your success,

Coach Matt

Fit for Life: 5 Things to Keep You on Point with Your Health and Fitness Through the Winter

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Fit for Life: 5 Things to Keep You on Point with Your Health and Fitness Through the Winter

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