Sunday 11.06.11

At least we don't have to fight winters like other places....here is the Ukriane
October is over, the rainy season is here and winter is coming fast.  I don't know about most people, but I like this weather.  I rarely change my habits from summer to winter; I eat about the same amount, sleep the same, wear pants when I workout (just like in the summer), etc.  The only differences are I may use a jacket when working graves and I have to turn off my oscillating fan at night that I use the sound to pacify myself to sleep.  But I realize I am not the norm in that regard.  With the colder weather comes flu seasons, less sun, more indoors, sleeping in, etc.  It's hard to keep the same motivation for working out, eating right (especially around the holidays), etc.  

My first attempts at Lumberjack Training
This summer season has been pretty good to everyone at the gym.  We have all seen the weights go up, times come down, and everyone at the Compound is seeming to improve flexibility and skills in some aspect or another.  We are all improving our fitness in some way.  And I don't want to see anyone lose that fitness in the months to come.  So think about how you can stay fit and healthy through the colder, darker months.

-First and foremost, stay active.  We all go to the gym and beat our bodies up because we know it makes us feel better.  I know, even when I have a migraine brewing, if I go to the gym and get a mediocre workout in I will ultimately feel better throughout the day, most of the time beating the headache all together.  Keeping a 3-5 day workout week throughout the winter months will provide you more energy and keep your fitness moving in the right direction.

-Think about nutrition ahead of time.  It may be hard to find fruits that are inexpensive and even good this time of year.  That's ok.  There are still plenty of meats, vegetables and good fats out there to keep our waistlines down and our energy up.  Remember the grains, sugars and too much starches are drains on your body's energy and on your fitness.  So keep those to a minimum. 

Stay warm.  When working out in colder weather I always keep a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt on until I start to sweat adequately.  Then as soon as the workout is over I throw it back on to keep my body warm and let my body start recovering instead of worrying about fighting off the cold.

-Get plenty of sleep and rest.  But when it's time to get up, get up and be active.  I'm always up for a good lazy night at home watching a movie with the wife and kids, but it's easy to get stuck in that groove for too long this time of year.  "Earn" those moments by doing something active in the daytime.

-Get social to stay positive.  One of the things that The Compound allows is social interaction and competition through the workouts.  Look at the Leader boards and the gym and give yourself some goals.   This social aspect of training will keep you accountable to someone else other than yourself and provide a little more motivation to get in and train.

The winter is a brief season, but it can quickly become a hindrance to our fitness goals.  Try to work through them this year and see what kind of progress we can make.

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