As if it’s not difficult enough to stay healthy year round, combine that immense struggle with below freezing Pittsburgh temperatures and a global pandemic that keeps gyms and workout classes closed. Welcome to 2021! It’s a strange time to be alive. You may have made lofty New Year’s resolutions goals that you haven’t stuck to regarding your health and wellness. Hey, we have all been there. But, if you follow these tips, you can get back on track with your resolutions, while staying fit physically and mentally.
- Get outside (when it’s warm enough)
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You may have winced at the thought of this first tip. Hear me out – I’m not telling you to go outside for a walk when it’s five degrees. But, you should take advantage of the “warmer” winter temps whenever you can. My rule of thumb is, when it’s over 30 degrees, it’s bearable enough (with layers upon layers, of course) to take a stroll outside. Your mind, and vitamin D intake, will thank you.
- Wake up & put on active clothes
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With doing Zoom classes, you can get away with wearing basically anything you want. If you aren’t going for a workout right when you wake up, you should still put on your workout clothes right away. I find that if I roll out of bed and keep my pajamas on while doing online classes in the morning, I feel sluggish and unmotivated to workout in the afternoon. Putting on the tight athletic clothes in the cold weather truly wakes me up.
- Take your vitamins
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During the winter months, I deeply question why I didn’t attend college in Florida (kidding…kind of). But, the cold temperatures means that your body is lacking necessary Vitamin D intake that only the sun can give you. Vitamin D also helps your immune system stay in check and we all could use more defense against viruses, especially right now.
- YouTube videos
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You may be wondering, “If I can’t go outside for exercise and my gym isn’t open, how can I workout?” You can do virtual workouts! Some of the toughest workouts I’ve ever done were done through following a YouTube video. I love videos because you can do them in the comfort of your room, but the energy of the instructor makes it seem like you’re actually in a workout class. Some of my favorite fitness influencers include Sydney Cummings and Lilly Sabri.
- Drink your water
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If you’re anything like me, your skin is dry, your lips are chapped and your nails are chipping throughout the winter months. I’ve found the biggest help for this issue has been drinking water. I urge all of you to drink more water than you think you need. A good rule of thumb for how much water to drink is to drink half of your weight in pounds in ounces of water. The water will moisturize your entire body – and help you glow from within in the dreary winter.
- Create weekly goals
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Here we are, back to those New Year’s resolutions we didn’t keep. But, it’s not too late to start again. It’s super motivating for me to journal my weekly goals every Sunday. This can include any type of goal – not just health and wellness goals. Evaluating your goals week by week and creating small victories will help you be successful in achieving them in the long term.
- Stretch
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With the cold temperatures, your body can become sore much more easily. It’s so important to stretch to not only increase your range of motion, but to prevent injuries. Injuries can set your goals back for months upon months, at best. I suggest stretching while you’re watching TV at night. It’s a great wind down from a stressful day and it makes stretching less monotonous.
- Give yourself a break
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I saved my favorite tip for last. It’s also the tip I need to listen to the most. Even if you follow every tip above, you won’t be truly happy within until you give yourself grace. If you wake up one day and don’t want to workout and stay in your warm bed, then do whatever you desire!
It’s easy to be brutal with yourself when setting goals. But remind yourself, you won’t lose all of your progress in one day. We are going through one of the weirdest, most stressful times we will ever have to endure. It’s okay to stray away from your aspirations every once in a while. You don’t always need to have an intense workout or eat a salad for every meal. Give yourself grace, and remember that beating yourself up will only make things worse. So, say yes to the pasta and no to working out when you aren’t feeling it. You only live once.