Well it’s definitely winter here in Melbourne! To be honest I don’t remember our winters being this cold and I have really felt it this winter. Winter is definitely a time when you just want to hibernate, keep warm and eat lots of food. This week I thought I would share with you how I keep a healthy lifestyle going in the colder months including exercise.
It is really, really hard to motivate yourself to venture out of the house in winter let alone go and exercise. My exercise regime consists of exercising outside, so I must admit it has been a hard slog this winter. I love my outdoor group personal training sessions as I have a great trainer and train with a great bunch of people all who I have met through our training sessions.
So what are my main motivators for continuing to exercise outside in the winter months? Well they are my trainer, the people I train with and I must say I am now addicted to how a good exercise session makes me feel after. The hardest part of exercising in winter is getting yourself there but once you are there it is well worth the effort.
My moto when I exercise is that I’m only there for an hour, make it count and work hard. If you think about the amount of time you exercise in a week one hour out of your day really is nothing and the benefits are of course positive on your health and well being. My biggest advice for exercising is to find something you enjoy doing. For me I really like running and my outdoor group personal training sessions, for others it could be playing sport, yoga, pilates, cardio classes, the gym, nature walks, bike riding, swimming and the options are really endless.
With a healthy lifestyle not only does exercise play an important part but so does food. If you are not fuelling your body with good healthy food you can exercise as much as you like but you will not see any improvements. Exercise and a healthy diet go hand in hand.
In winter most people want to eat comfort food, good hearty casseroles, slow cooked meats, soups and baked goods. The good news is that comfort food doesn’t have to be unhealthy. You can still eat healthy and delicious comfort food in the colder months. Some of my favourite winter comfort foods that I cook for my family are Osso Bucco, Eggplant Lasagne, Lamb Curry, Chicken Curry, Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks with Sweet Potato Mash, Lamb and Leek Braise, Chilli Con Carne, Minestrone Soup, Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder, Slow Cooked Pulled Pork, Winter Warmer Veggie Pot, Sweet Potato and Leek Soup, Pumpkin Soup and lots more.
If you are interested in these recipes you can find them in my two eBooks at the Healthy Store. My loyal subscribers this week will be receiving a free recipe for an old classic healthy version of Curried Sausages. If you would like to receive free healthy and delicious recipes, subscribe at the bottom of this page.
So remember keep yourself motivated to exercise by finding something you enjoy doing and fuel your body with healthy and delicious comfort food during the winter months and it will all pay off when the warmer weather hits. Let’s hope some sunshine comes soon to Melbourne!
