Setting up and running a business in the current economic climate is not easy, in fact it’s a constant battle. Running a business that is based outside, that requires motivating people to do things that they often don’t want to, in what is apparently the British summer is another story!
So as you can all imagine that this week has been a good week for me, the sun has got his hat on and it seems that everyone wants to comeout to play. Personally I have more energy, my clients have more energy and non-clients that have been sitting on the fence when it comes to embarking on a journey to better health, suddenly get the motivation needed to kick start their program.
Group sessions are buzzing with clients old and new and in every aspect it feels like everybody is gaining more from each workout.
There’s something about our painfully shy sun, that when it does decide to show it’s face, all of a sudden everyone wants to move. I don’t know about you but I become overwhelmed with energy, I want to get out in the garden and start digging, go on a long walk or even tackle the under stairs cupboard that throughout the winter has begun somewhat of a health hazard when even attempting to get the door open.
This is why there is no better time to start exercising than in the summer, having high energy levels makes it soooo much easier to get yourself off the sofa and commit to making a change. And there is definitely no better place to be than outdoors, Vitamin D helps strengthen bones, muscles and the body’s immune system and you burn way more calories!
Studies have shown exercise is associated with greater feelings of revitalisation together with decreases in tension, anger and depression. participants gain greater enjoyment and satisfaction with outdoor activity and stated that they were more likely to repeat the activity at a later date.
So with this in mind, us Brits are going to be feeling this for maybe a third of the year if we are lucky? And what do we do with the other 8 months of the year! The summer makes us feel great and want to look after ourselves but really, it’s the winter time that we should be focussing our efforts on, this is the time when your body needs to receive that feel good feeling from exercise and we should be moving more.
I don’t know about you but by the time we had reached the snow in April I was fed up, in every way. A combination of lack of sunshine, freezing conditions and 6 months of eating comfort food leaves us desperate for spring, and when it doesn’t turn up on time (which is pretty much every year!), we sink deeper into hibernation mode. The truth is, if you wrapped up warm, got yourself out and about and ate well throughout the winter, then maybe we wouldn’t have some many wrongs to put right.
Use this next few months to launch yourself into your fitness program, get jobs around the house done, hack away at the mini amazon forest growing at the end of the garden and eat a balanced diet. If we consistently practice these things now, in 3 months time when the days start to grow shorter again you will have created routine and habit in your lifestyle, and as we all know habit is not an easy thing to break!
There is only one thing that can be blamed on poor lifestyle throughout the winter months and it’s not the weather! You have the power to control your happiness and your health by making choices, these choices may be harder to follow through with in the winter months but what will follow that is greater rewards.
One thing we do know is that we can’t control the British weather, so lets get out now and enjoy it……because who knows how long it’s going to last!
