My Tips; How I Stay Motivated To Train & Keep Healthy During Winter.

Don’t we all know the feeling? Winter is quickly creeping up on us – the days are getting ‘shorter’, the sun rises much later, and before you know it it’s dark before you even leave the office in the early evening again – for most people, the last thing you want to do is crawl out of your comfy and warm bed at 5.30am in the morning or hit the gym after a long day in the office – we’re all guilty of having these feelings at one point in life – some struggle more than others, but if you get into a routine and feel the difference of your health there’s little that can stop you when you first get going!

Just remember; Winter is not an excuse to sit around on the couch and fill your body with quick take-away food because it’s cold and dark and you constantly crave something sweet – cook nutritious and healthy dishes like warm tagines, heartwarming soups and roasted root-vegetables that will help you keep your immune-system guards up in this colder time – embrace winter and all it’s got to offer.

Here’s how I stay motivated to train and stay healthy throughout winter:

  1. I get up every morning at 5.30am Monday – Friday to go to the gym. On the weekends I get up when my body wakes up and go for lighter exercise. I find it much easier to start the day with a proper workout that can prepare my body and mind mentally for a long day in the office. It’s also scientifically proven that you burn up to 20% more fat if you exercise first thing in the morning before you eat breakfast.
  2. I train 30% cardio and 70% weights. I always feel like eating more than what I have to when it’s cold outside – don’t we all? That’s why I minimize my cardio throughout winter as it only makes me even hungrier, and focus on free weights to train bigger muscle groups. More muscles = more fat- and calorie-burning when your body is in a rest-state.
  3. The way my body feels. When I have a bad day (we all have those sometimes) I always try to come up with excuses to why I shouldn’t train. Then I remind myself why exactly I should train and how good my body feels after a great training-set. Endorphines are flowing, I have calmness & a clear mind, my serotonin-level rises and the best of all? I feel like I can overcome almost everything!
  4. In Winter I mainly eat warm breakfasts. I focus on starting my day by eating low-GI grains as these will release glucose more slowly and steadily, which leads to more suitable post blood glucose levels and it will keep me going for most of the morning. A popular favorite of mine is my homemade Quinoa Porridge with Cinnamon, Warmed Berries, Roasted Almonds and a splash of Unsweetened Almond Milk.
  5. Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk. Instead of always meeting up for a meal, or a coffee I catch up with my girlfriends over a long walk, a boxing session or a weight session at the gym. The best part? You get to catch up, but you’re also active and can push each other to perform better. I would know – my girlfriend Nat always kicks my butt when I’m at the gym with her – so much I sometimes have trouble walking the following days.
  6. Drink yourself to a better digestion. Drinking tea is like getting a warm hug on the inside – and it’s good for you too! I go to T2 (teahouse) and get lots of varieties of different loose tea as often as I can. I have a tea for every different taste-bud I have (yes, that’s a lot!). I drink organic liquorice tea when I feel like something sweet, lemon & ginger tea to help my digestive system, green tea with vanilla beans for afternoon treats and Dandelion tea with honey to help detoxification; digestive, liver & kidney.
  7. Supplements & Vitamins are your friends. I especially up my supplements & vitamin-intake during winter. Anyone eyeing my desk in the office would think I’m addicted to vitamins as half my desk is full of these. Every day I take1 BodyScience Multivitamin Pill, 1 Shot of BodyScience Immufix, 2 Liver Detox Pills, 500mg of Fish Oil, 2 Zinc Tablets, 2 Magnesium Tablets and 2 Iron Tablets which helps me keep on top of everything – especially in stressed times!
  8. Be a Sun-Seeker. During the Winter-months it’s even more critical to get some much-needed fresh Vitamin-D from the sun-rays. I make sure to spend at least 30 minutes in the sun most days to keep my Vitamin-D levels up and to keep my bones and muscles strong and healthy as well as keeping my serotonin-levels up which is also known as the ‘Happy Hormone’.
  9. Eat the Rainbow. Have you ever heard that it is important to “eat a rainbow” of foods? I especially focus on this during Winter as it helps my body getting all the right nutrients without having to make a massive effort. Carotenoids, Potassium, Folate, Flavonoids, Beta-glucan, Calcium, Phosphorous, and Omega 3-, 6- and 9′s. Don’t know what these words mean? Don’t worry – trust me, they’re good for your body!

I hope you draw inspiration from my Winter-lifestyle to live healthy, nutritious and positive all throughout your winter. This I promise you; you will feel better for it, feel more positive and vibrant as well as being able to manage stress and problems when they come your way much easier.

CHG Training

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7 Comments

  • Caroline you are a complete inspiration. I read that you are a self-taught yogi – how did you start and what tips can you pass on to beginners? Love being inspired by your posts – thank you and keep it up!

    • Hi Roma,

      THank you for your kind words. My suggestion is to go to a few basic classes if you don’t feel comfortable diving head first into yoga. It’s a lot to take in but for me that was a part of my journey.

  • This is so hard! The winter months def are harder to motivate yourself to work out…I live in Switzerland and there will be lots of snow and rain and more snow and rain….

  • Hi Caroline,

    I follow your IG account and love all your health tips and recipes! I reread this post today, and I was wondering if your daily routine is still similar to this, or if anything else has evolved more with your daily tips for optimal health? Just wondering if you do anything different after almost of year from this post? Thanks love!

  • Love following you on instagram and your healthy, positive lifestyle! will definetly be trying to make that raw snickers bar!!!

    • Thank you so much sweetie, such a nice thing to say! The Snickers are to die for. So yummy! :) x

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