New season, new start: Get rid of the winter wobbles

A new month and new season are almost upon us. The great thing about a new season is that it’s an opportunity to shed winter clothes and head outdoors a lot more.

It’s time to forget about the workouts that did not happen in winter. Missed sessions are in the past and now we are ready for warmer weather. Warmer weather also means our meals will start to be lighter and potentially healthier. That said, I commend everyone who made no excuses and trained throughout the winter. High five to you, now keep up the momen-tum.

To those who took a break, it’s okay.

It’s time to get moving now. The final kick of winter is behind us … no need for layers and no need for excuses. As a reminder, the general guidelines from the World Health Organisation is 30 minutes of exercise, five times a week in order to maintain good health. That is just 2% of your 24-hour day.

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We all have 30 minutes in our daily schedules that we can dedicate to some kind of physical activity. There is no pressure on those who have been on a winter exercise sabbatical. You can simply begin with a daily brisk walk around the neighbourhood as a gentle way of kick-starting you and reminding your body what exercise feels like. Just remember to swing your arms high and walk with great intension. Not a Sunday stroll.

Once you have managed brisk walks for at least two weeks, you can start adding a short routine of at-home, functional body exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups, high knee jumps, running on the spot and burpees. You can simply set a one-minute timer for each exercise and perform as many repetitions as possible within that minute.

A short routine like that may not make you slimmer overnight but it will definitely pump up your heart rate, burn a few calo-ries and have you in the fat-burning zone.

If you are trying to get yourself back into physical activity after a long break, you can take it a step further by walking or jogging for 20 to 25 minutes and then add a few of the body exercises every day for a further week or two. You will definitely feel a dif-ference.

As mentioned, with warmer weather being here, it also means we can cut down on the hearty meals. It is the general norm that in winter we eat such meals to keep ourselves warm. That’s behind us now.

Smaller portions and easy-to-digest meals will have us feeling less sluggish. It’s also a good idea to google search for energy-boosting foods or drinks to help you get going. Let’s keep moving!