The urge for winter hibernation is real. Here’s how to triumph over training lethargy this winter…
Triumph over training lethargy this winter.
The urge to hibernate during winter is real for anyone who has ever hit the snooze button for an extra 10 mins sleep. Cold weather, shorter days and low light not only disrupts our circadian rhythm, it can affect our mood and our desire to exercise. With less natural light our melatonin levels lower and our melatonin peak comes earlier, giving our body the signal to wind down and sleep.
Many people lose their training consistency over winter and with it they lose many of the hard-earned benefits of exercise.
On average we lose 40% of our lean muscle mass by the time we are 80 years old. What many people don’t realize is we begin losing this as early as age 25.
That extra 5-10kgs of weight we put on over winter and then try an lose again in the summer, comes with the loss of lean muscle mass too. This undermines our ability to build lean muscle and maintain a healthy metabolism long term.
Training consistently all through the year protects our lean muscle mass, preserves our emotional and physical wellbeing and is essential to longevity.
So what works to override the urge to hibernate this winter?
Here at Event Ready Bodies, we find registering for a sports event is the method which outperform all other methods for training lethargy.
Here’s why…
1. Sports events foster inspiration. By spending time with your community, you are sure to learn something new and be inspired.
2. Build new skills. Doing a new event or an event for the first time may seem uncomfortable at first, however, it’s a great way to help you grow and improve your physical capability. Think of this as a “stretch” goal which moves your focus away from hum drum exercise and towards infinite possibility.
3. Fill your cup. Planning and turning up to your event fills you with excitement, builds anticipation, and rewards your daily effort. Collect tangible satisfaction measures like your completion time, your distance, new personal bests, event medals, souvenir tee shirts, great photos across the finish line!
4. Sports events successfully marry cumulative daily habits with a date in the calendar. By virtue of design this creates a fixed point in time when you will celebrate the supreme satisfaction of a healthier, happier and more capable body.
5. Work on making memories, not just better daily habits. Future action steps are easier when you enjoy your event so much you can’t wait to build the next exciting experience.
“Thanks to our memories, we have what we call experience” Aristotle
To turn your winter training into an experience, adopt our Event Ready Bodies mindset. It’s simple, train for a sports event you’d love to experience and create your best body as you go!
Have a question about training this winter? Need help with your individual training?
Contact our qualified team of sports therapists, or book a free strategy session with us at Event Ready Bodies. Email us : barbara@eventreadybodies.co.nz