Training outdoors in winter
The natural world isn't just one part of the Fitbynature method; it's the foundation that allows each pillar in your life to thrive. It’s your natural checkin, your benchmark for longevity and your curiosity volume switch. Simply, your environment changes so you gotta (& love that!).
The truth is training (or practice) never stops and that’s not a bad thing! I’m here to move just as well if not better tomorrow and that needs practice, right? Move to move! But we’re products of our environment and our comfort. At fitbynature, we keep training outdoors in winter (like all seasons) and we learn to look forward to that feeling of training which, let’s face it, you never regret once it’s done and chances are your body thanks you for it again and again. We prepare ourselves just as we would any other season, with layers, hydrations, eating to move well with extra energy we need to practice upleveling, and that includes the curiosity too!
Obviously we’re in Australia and despite how often I express the fact I’m cold it’s not really that cold compared to some places in winter (think not one but two polar vortexes in Chicago and a baby born in -33° is not comfy!). But we rug up, we scrunch our shoulders up to our chins (and our faces with it as that frigid 12° is surely in the negatives!) and we keep moving.
Cos the truth is, things that are still stagnate (think a puddle of water after the rain that’s now murkey and probably housing so bugs ew!). That stagnation gives me check in points like stiffness and soreness to work thru or around, weak points and strengths and my goals continue despite the weather right? But I’ve now even better feedback on what my body needs cos I’m responding to my environment. Genius!
Fitbynature has always been an outdoor fitness company that focuses on the fitness you’ve always had inside you. We’re each as unique as we are the weather!
You’re your own gym. You can and should be able to move your own body against and around and between itself. Think basics like squat push-up lunge and pull ups all the way to combining them to ‘flows’. Include lying, sitting, standing, walking, running and jumping without pain and near effortlessly, for as long as you can. That’s winning.
It all adds up. Movement snacks are esp perfect for winter warmth. Just 10 reps of a body weight move like walking in lunges to make your arvo cuppa each hour during work is going to do more than that hour in the gym and sitting the rest of the day!
Facilitate don’t force. Making something easier by moving thru it as you can is always going to be more fun and beneficial than forcing it or weighting it cos you feel you should? Own your level of movement and uplevel.
Have a plan. With a plan in place, you've great things to look forward to and you're bound to keep a little structure in an otherwise chaotic reality. And everything is downstream from how your body is functioning so planning for better functioning thru a plan of habits means everything is better!
Start 'too easy'. Make your habit changes, exercise goals, food changes as easy as you can, so easy your cannot not do them - like 10 pushups a day, start with 1 and just do that? You might be inspired to try for 10 but you’ve already got your goal.
Consistency over intensity. That guy you see swimming the length of the beach no matter the season or the weather? Whoa is he crazy! How? Everyday, then you don’t notice the shock from where we’re standing not doing it to where he’s swimming and has been daily. He just does it! You can too (tho I might have to work on the swimming part haha)
You're unique. Your problems aren't. It’s up to you, your personal respondability
Sample sessions/solutions:
Rain - shelter, rain before you go feels like a chord but rain during and you’re a conquerer!
Wind - wind break locations a must (anyone else hate wind, except when sailing!)
Cold - I am a lizard aka sun seeker even in winter. It feels wondrous!
Dark - sunset at the moment is 4.52pm for one more week then one minute a day longer then 2min so technically we’re on the way back to summer if you ask me
Sunrise - um, no thanks ha but occasionally and the wonder stops me doing anything!
Sunset - most days. Warmth leaving easier than cold to warmth for me. Thus is when I’m most inclined to move
Recovery is where all the goodness happens. Sauna is particularly lovely in winter, as is an arvo nap followed by a brotholate!
Conditioning and weights - If your goal is to live longer and healthier, focus on recovering from the stress of life, not just your last workout.
The longest, deepest, most loving relationship you'll ever have is with your own body. When you truly care for it, it loves you back-with good sleep, energy,and clarity. So when someone asks do you train outdoors still in winter I think “Give me an environment and I’ll see what I can do with it!” Oh and when you move in winter? You get warm!! How you do anything is how you do everything, always.
