When the nights start drawing in and the days are cold, it’s hard to stay motivated to get that butt out the front door and do some exercise. In the mountains, skiing and snowboarding just isn’t really enough. Particularly when you think about all the cheese and alcohol that’s being taken in.
So whether you are in the mountains or just need some motivation to get out the front door, here are a few tips from me…
YOGA
I love yoga in the winter. It’s a great way to stretch out after a day stuck behind a desk or even to ease those aching muscles after a shred session. In London, there’s a fab class called Yoga For City Surfers – it’s a nice mix of male and female landlocked surfers who want to stay in shape. If you want to practice at home, make sure you try Yoga with Adriene – she is the bomb.
INTERVAL TRAINING
I hate the term ‘interval training’. But it is a really great way to work out in the winter with other people. In Morzine, we go to a bi-weekly Tabata class in a really nice lady’s apartment. Tabata is like circuits – it’s eight exercises done eight times over for twenty seconds with ten seconds rest in between. Six women in a living room huffing and puffing might sound like a squish, but it’s really motivating and man, do you ache the next day. Get on Google to find your local class or try the nearest gym.
RUNNING
Do you ever get that weird pain in your throat when you run in the cold? It really puts me off running when the temperatures are freezing outside. However, it is totally possible. The key is layering up. I love these tops from Sweaty Betty plus their running jacket and would buy ALL of them, if it didn’t seriously affect my bank balance. You can even run in the snow and ice with these grippy running studs from Yaktrax.
SWIMMING
It might sound totally obvious, but swimming is one of the best all-round ways to keep fit. It’s super low impact, so if your body is under a lot of strain or injured it won’t make it worse. It works out legs, bums, tums, arms, the lot. Plus it’s nice and warm and doesn’t involve going outside when you don’t want to.
WALKING
Get out for a winter hike. It’s so easy – and you don’t feel like you’re working out – but the number of times I’ve kept off the pounds just walking to and from my house is unbelievable. Take a friend, borrow a dog, ditch the car and walk instead.
Photos by Johs. Musaeus and myself