How many times have you heard this saying, such a cliche.
But it couldn’t be more true.
Winter is cold, and if you’re in Cape Town its cold, rainy and windy all at the same time.
None of these conditions are conducive to a lot of forms of exercise, other than …๐
To make things even worse, we tend to eat a lot more in winter. Warm, hearty food we tend to look for is usually not the healthiest. We eat more richer foods.
All of this is the body’s natural instinct, to warm up. Calories warm you up. Body Fat is a good insulator.
You could say it’s your body betraying in winter, or you could take some responsibility too…
So how has winter treated me?
Honestly, I have not been too bad. I’ve eaten a lot of good, hearty food which might not be figure friendly all the time. But I’ve tried balancing the scale, literally.
I’ve been limiting starch in my dishes as far as possible. More vegetables and leaves. Red cabbage and beetroot have been firm favourites this winter.
As for exercise: I started out well with good intentions. Doing what I do for exercise: road/beach and trail running, gym, Zumba, chasing after my son, sex… But by mid-winter I’d forgotten the directions to the gym, too cold outside for any form of running. No chasing after my son was happening as we stayed well under the blankets most winter. As for sex, well… Let’s just say it’s not as calorie burning in winter๐
Not all doom and gloom though.
1. Despite the ‘hearty food’ I’ve been indulging in, I have only gained 0,4kg in the last 6 months.
2. Before winter is completely gone, I’ve restarted my exercise routine. I’m a week in and it’s going well.
3. Come beautiful summer, I’m going back to trail running.
What matters though is acknowledingย what you’re missing and getting yourself up and restarting again.
Andย it is truly never to late to start.
Let’s be healthy this summer! NB: healthy, not skinny๐๐พ