Top 5 Winter Training Tips - Smash winter with a smile
For even the most dedicated athletes, training in winter can be a challenge. If you’re finding training tough when the mercury drops and the nights close in our top 5 winter training tips will get your winter mojo powered back up in no time
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Winter training tip #1: Fire up your mind
Feeling less than totally on fire for winter training is normal. You’ve finished a long season and body and mind are tired. Don’t stress it. Enjoy well-deserved relaxation time to recharge the batteries and the fire will come back of its own accord. This being said, you can also give it a helping hand by:
- Visualising next year:
Imagine how rubbish you'll feel shuffling back into training after an overdose of seasonal excess. This thought alone can help you get out there and gently keep things 'ticking over' between parties and feasts, making the ‘come back’ so much easier when you are ready to step back on the gas.
- Getting great zeds:
Fewer training hours means shorter nights and less energy burned, which is linked to overeating and low energy. Nail your sleep routine and your body will achieve stasis
Sleep awesome. Smash winter
- Setting SMART goals:
As in goals that are
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time-dependent
Having proper goals provides motivation, and research has proven the simple acts of writing them down (old school style, as in actually on paper) and telling other people about them make you even more likely to achieve them.
- Getting context
Training is a rare luxury. Most of the world's population has neither the time, money or conditions to train. We do and it is a privilege we should never forget.
- Grabbing every opportunity to exercise outside
Even if it’s just a short window, take it. Our vitamin D levels are at their lowest in in winter, any opportunity for natural light exposure helps as a top up.
Winter training tip #2: Kill carb cravings with whole foods
Roasted winter veg - power up taste and nutrient density in seasonal style
Cravings for processed carbs and sugar spike in winter thanks to reduced daylight and fresh air. But succumbing to this craving 24/7 won't help your mojo – a short-lived energy spike will be followed by lethargy.
Instead stabilise blood sugar - and energy - with natural whole foods, dense in nutrients, vitamins, minerals and the all-important sugar-regulating fibre
Make this a focus at breakfast time for the best possible start to the day.
If you have time for poached eggs and avocado on sourdough, then you’re truly winning. If not, then go for whole rolled oats – cooked or uncooked – with a handful of nuts or seeds sprinkled on top, and add as much fruit as you like. No need to worry about the sugar, the fruit's fibre has you covered here.
For the fastest possible win when time is tight, consider powering up your breakfast with our Ultimate Daily Greens. Just one spoon in a glass of water gives you a huge nutritional head start on the day.
Ultimate Daily Greens - welcome to the fastest shot of nutrient density in town
Winter training tip #3: Beat seasonal weight gain
Colder temperatures trigger hunger. Satisfy it without worrying about your waistline by:
- Blending - soups & smoothies are filling and nutrient dense
- Hydrating - hunger is often disguised as merely thirst
- Getting the protein in - it’ll help lean muscle and fill you up. Our very own Premium Protein is ideal here, being specifically designed to keep blood sugars low while powering up muscle and shedding fat :)
Soup-er. Boom-boom
Winter training tip #4: Enjoy (some) cake
I feel your pain: temptation is everywhere. It’s hard to stay on track but with a plan in place before you dive into the profiteroles this one's easily dealt with. Here’s how to tackle a buffet of badness:
- Drink a couple a large glass of water before approaching the banquet - it'll handily fill you up
- Add as much fruit and/or veg first to cut down on the plate real estate left for the bad stuff
- Next add proteins and whole grains
- Take a breather to let natural satiety max out before you tuck into the desserts
- Now choose the bad stuff you want and enjoy, guilt free
Winter training tip #5: Enjoy (some) booze
Tequila, salt & lemon. A health drink, sort of...
Alcohol never made anyone a better athlete, but a few social drinks can be a valuable and enjoyable part of quality downtime. Try these suggestions to max up enjoyment while minimising the downsides.
Our first tip is to go short. We’re not suggesting you neck a centurion of tequila shots, but spirits contain considerably fewer calories than beer and wine.
Be mindful of the mixers - these are invariably loaded with sugars and sweeteners.
Next, go clear. Clear spirits – gin, vodka, rum, tequila – contain lower concentrations of congeners, a toxic compound formed when alcohol is fermented so give less of a hangover. Top suggestions here include:
Last but not least, know when to quit because so much of our social boozing is habitual.
Getting mindful instead and asking yourself if you really want (or need) that extra drink and then swapping the ones you don't for mineral water can slash alcohol consumption at a stroke without even touching the enjoyment of a night out.
You’ll feel like a champ on your morning jog the next day having enjoyed a sociable evening and not spent the night with your head in the toilet.
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