Beat the Winter Blues by Boosting Your Internal Thermostat
As Autumn slides into Winter, what are you doing to prepare for the colder, darker, damper days ahead?
It’s not all about thermals, hot soup and duvets…
A walk in the park, a bike ride down country lanes and even a swim in your local pool doesn’t seem quite as appealing during the Winter months.
It is so easy to pile on the clothing, yank up the central heating and turn to those comforting carbs for an immediate boost of feeling good. But what will be the long-term effects? Increased weight? Higher heating bills? Increased days of feeling lazy and low?
In a recent article published by The Guardian on how to survive the Winter, it was all about staying active outdoors, wearing the appropriate clothing and having the right mindset. But what about those of us who can’t find the motivation to venture outside on a regular basis during the long dark damp days?
Here’s the Answer
Indoor group exercise!
The benefits of indoor group exercise are numerous:
- Warm environment
- Interaction with like-minded people
- A motivating instructor
- Variety
- The ‘feeling good’ after factor
- Keeps you fit
- Prevents weight gain
- And more….
The majority of indoor group exercise classes work your muscles keeping them toned, strong and active. When you work our muscles on a regular basis you increase your metabolism which in turn increases your core temperature.
Just for the record: toned, strong muscles doesn’t mean big body building muscles! Body builders flex their muscles 4 -5 hours a day, do multiple sets of each exercise and eat bucket loads of protein. Body building is a sport where keeping muscles fit and healthy is taken to the extreme.
The Best Classes to Boost Your Metabolism During the Winter Months
All types of classes, apart from stretch and relax ones, will help to boost your metabolism and keep you warmer during the Winter months but some are better than others.
Muscle Strengthening Classes:
Classes that focus on muscle strength include Body Conditioning and Body Pump
Cardiovascular Workouts:
Classes that increase our circulation are almost as important as a muscle strengthening class to assist in keeping you warm during the Winter months.
Cardiovascular fitness will not only maintain your aerobic fitness and help prevent you piling on the pounds over the Winter months but will also increase circulation. Circulations makes sure that nutrients are being delivered to the cells, energy to the muscles and waste products removed.
Popular and effective cardiovascular classes include Spinning, Body Combat, Aerobics and Step Aerobics.
Combination Classes:
If you are short of time and want to get the most out of the minimum number of classes, then this type of class is for you.
Whilst there are many HIT and Circuit Training classes which can work on both strength and cardiovascular fitness, one of the best ways to stay fit and strong during the Winter months is step training combined with weight lifting. These classes used to be called ‘Step and Tone’ and have mostly been replaced by faster workouts, louder music and more complicated choreography.
This is why I am starting a brand new Step and Tone class at my Sale Pilates Studio in Sale, Manchester, where I will be combining the cardiovascular benefits of stepping and the muscle strengthening exercises of Body Pump. This amazing class will not only help to keep aches and pains at bay but will also see you through the Winter months feeling strong, energized and motivated to jump out of bed every morning.
Check out the class timetable of Sale Pilates HERE. Sale Pilates is offering a 50% discount on your first trial class during November. Contact Sale Pilates for your discount code.
Please share this Blog with anyone you know who would benefit from this information.
Let’s Stay Warm Together!
Anita ‘staying warm in Winter’ Dawn