Hibernation beckons.
The days are getting shorter and the TV shows are getting more interesting. The call of the couch is strong upon you after work and on the weekends. The AFL is back on. The Tour de France is around the corner. Netflix has never been (or seemed) better. There’s the chance of rain. You feel a little chilly outdoors. For all of these reasons, many people ratchet down training, exercise and being outdoors in the winter months and embrace the (mostly) blissful allure of wintertime hibernation.
It’s natural to want to hibernate. I get it. To some extent, I feel it, too! Buuut … what’s also natural is to need to exert yourself physically to maintain conditions conducive to life (food, shelter, clothing, relationships & culture). And seeing as we have done away with the physical strain that was traditionally required to meet basic needs (most occupations, even blue collar ones, have been extensively - if not exhaustively - automated), chances are you probably don’t need to huff and puff or lift anything heavy in your work. Ever. Our situation now is unnatural. This means it is now necessary to do something which is unnatural (arbitrary lifting and cardiorespiratory exercise) in order to maintain a decent level of health***. Bizarre but true. Human physiology does not match well with modern, sedentary life.
And notice I said that resistance training and cardiorespiratory exercise is a basic requirement for a decent level of health? As in, if you do not have these things, then that is a problem? I stand by that statement because I think it’s true. I think it is true that sufficient resistance training and cardiorespiratory exercise can be put alongside these other basic necessary ingredients for health: decent nutrition, sufficient sleep, stress management and functional relationships. I’m not saying that you can’t get these things through your work or through non-employment labour like fixing stuff around the house. I’m just saying that you probably aren’t.
While we have certainly reduced the physicality of regular life through machines and automation, it’s worth noting that ancient agrarian civilisations all had their forms of sport, play and training. The civilisations which HAD NOT automated or mechanised physical labour away STILL HAD sport and exercise! The Roman citizen soldier needed to be able to drop his farming implements and go to war. It is safe to assume he probably had to do a little swordsmanship practice in his day-to-day life. Soccer-like games existed amongst hunter gatherer tribes - people who were ALREADY walking and running quite a lot. That strikes modern people as being peculiar; weren’t they getting all their “exercise” from hunting & gathering?! Didn’t these “unsophisticated, primitive barbarians” rest as much as possible whenever possible?! It seems not. Maybe these games served some other purpose… like having fun?! But the point I’m trying to make is that it’s wrong to think of sport and exercise as modern inventions which are only necessary because regular life is no longer physically demanding. That’s partly true but not fully true.
Anyway, I digress. My point is that it’s not in your interests to embrace the urge to hibernate too enthusiastically. Here are some alternatives;
Mix up your training. For endurance athletes (like triathletes), make winter your “base building” time - lots of low-medium intensity Ks. It can be hard to muster the motivation to get out the door when it’s cold and you know the session will be intense. Marathoners - this does not apply to you seeing as your races are generally in winter!
Switch up your activity. Are you into walking outdoors but hate getting wet in the winter? Maybe try some low intensity indoor fitness activity? Try your hand at Judo, perhaps? Or a boxing class? Even better, if you can, would be to get kitted out to stay warm and dry in the rain. And then perhaps even get into Bibbulmun Track hiking?
Make winter your season for building strength! Learning some of the basic barbell lifts and seeing your strength improve can be immensely satisfying. Powerlifing is not a cardio-centric sport and, in my view at least, it has a wintry sort of vibe.
And here are some practical tips to help you get outdoors, to the gym, to the pool - or wherever you’re going to do your Iron Age peasant mimicry (huffing and puffing and lifting stuff);
Go to bed in your exercise gear (your clean exercise gear)
This is a good tip for runners and gym go-ers. Maybe even good for cyclists? Yes, if it were not for the lubed up bike bib chamois.
2. Get warm indoors before heading out to your training session
The anticipation of being cold for the first 10-15 minutes of your training can be enough to put the kibosh on your effort entirely. So, it’s worth getting warm and a little sweaty indoors before you start outdoor training. Body weight squats and lunges are your friend: they use a large amount of muscle mass and generate heat. Most running drills can be adapted to be done on the spot in your kitchen or living room. Your best friend Mr Burpee is always there to get you sweating. At the very least, don’t let yourself abandon a session until you’ve done an indoor warm up. Starting is half the battle in winter.
3. Exercise at lunch time
It can be logistically challenging to train at lunch time, and there’s not usually many minutes to work with. BUT, if you can pull it off, lunch time workouts are worth the effort. For starters, many office workers do not get sufficient sunlight in winter and this is a great chance to reverse that trend for yourself. Also, there’s a massive cognitive reward here - your concentration and alertness benefits substantially from a mid-day bout of exercise.
4. Join a group
Joining a group of like-minded individuals for exercise, sport or recreation is the gold standard for fostering long term habitual exercise. It is most probably the single most powerful thing you can do to ensure you get enough resistance and cardiorespiratory training into your body. Why not try an Extension Fitness group session to see if we can be that “group” for you?
***When I say “health”, here’s what I mean;
Being in the ballpark of a healthy weight
Not developing diseases that are readily preventable with uncomplicated, low-cost activities / interventions
Not developing preventable mood disorders (anxiety, depression) NB: not all anxiety and depression is preventable
Being in possession of sufficient physical capacity to do most typical things for yourself (e.g. moving house, cleaning a house, gardening)
Having enough strength and fitness to enjoy nature (e.g. able to spend a few hours on your feet with minimal rest)