Summer Bodies Are Made in Winter

How to keep your fitness goals firmly on track

It’s that time of the year when winter embraces us in an icy grip and our beds seem like the only place to be. This is exactly why few of us consider keeping up a regular gym routine. However, we still want to look fit when Summer arrives. Thankfully, there is a lot of truth in the fitness mantra “Summer bodies are made in winter”. So for those planning on emerging out of the cocoon of Winter as a bright new butterfly, now is the time to work on it. To help, here are a few helpful insights:

Habits you start in winter are powerful

*Research indicates that habits you form in the wintertime are more likely to stick. This is because you’ve mastered your resistance against strong temptations like comfort food and the thousands of tasty calories. When Summer arrives, so does the sundowners after work, farmer’s markets and the braais we love so much. But by creating healthy habits in Winter, you’ll find that by the time the party season comes around you’ll already know ways to fit your workouts into your days and nights out, rather than finding excuses for skipping them.

Technology can be one of your best fitness friends

Monitoring your success and creating goals to match your needs is always a good idea. Smart technology can lend a helping hand here. Strap on a device like the stylish, sporty Samsung Galaxy Watch Active, to help keep track of your progress. It takes a holistic approach to monitoring everything that matters most. Its exercise, sleep, stress and health tracking features make it a personal lifestyle coach you’ll appreciate. And with plenty of motivational apps to download you can customise your daily goals and put them to use next time you head out the door. Of course, everybody needs down time which is why having a world of connectivity and entertainment on your wrist, is yet another reason why you’ll appreciate every second with the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active.

Conquering the cocoon is the main challenge

Few things are more seductive to the human brain then spending a chilly winter morning all wrapped up in your duvet. The fact is though, that nobody has gotten fitter by lying in bed all day. In bed, the snooze button is your first obstacle. Never, ever hit it. It’s best to just jump out of bed as soon as your alarm goes off and before your brain has time to realise how snuggly and warm it is under the covers. Placing your phone on another side of the bed helps. It also useful to join a gym class with other people or have a personal trainer, as this is more likely to force you out of bed and into the gym. And while you at it High Intensity Interval training is amazing for burning calories and getting results faster.

Keep your motivation firmly in mind

It’s easy to be tempted to skip a gym session or to give into the comfort food cravings in the cold of Winter. The trick is to keep one thought in your mind – ‘’Why am I doing this?”. If, for example, it’s to have your ideal bikini body, then visualise it and keep that image of the future you firmly in your mind every time you waver. The future-you will thank you, over and over again.

Info sourced from: https://coach.nine.com.au/fitness/how-to-build-a-summer-body-in-winter/62b86058-2d07-4ecc-a8c8-f85fd5d8f4b6
*Research by Jess Robinson, personal trainer at Lazy Girl Fitness