4 ways to re-set your fitness routine for winter
By Cameron Byrnes
Men’s Health Fitness Adviser / May 09 2016
How to keep your summer body in the colder months
By Cameron Byrnes
Men’s Health Fitness Adviser / May 09 2016
Another summer has come and gone – as have the ‘new-year, new me’ gym goers. You injected blood, sweat and tears into your training regimen to ensure you were at your peak over beach season, and you may feel you’ve earned a break over the cooler months.
“You’ve earned nothing,” says MH fitness adviser Cameron Byrnes. “Health and fitness are a lifestyle – there are no end goals.” Burn these four tactics into your routine and stay looking great, year round. And don’t forget about your gym bag essentials, either!
1
Train tough
“Gruelling workouts sometimes make me want to drop everything and give up, but its essential you don’t quit. Dropping off training will result in less testosterone, which will inevitably see you fall back to square one. To make training more bearable, choose your four favourite exercises and commit to doing only them three days a week.”
And if you need to spice things up, try something new, like F45.
2
Mix up your meals
“Maintaining a healthy diet is just as important as lifting iron. It’s really important that I vary my meals, as chicken with broccoli and salad gets really old, really fast. Chose five different meals to the ones you were eating over summer and give yourself two cheat days. Eating well the majority of the week removes the guilt factor and allows me to eat things I actually enjoy.”
3
Set your goals
“Setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely) goals helps my training immensely. A method I find works well is writing your goal weight on your fridge so you’re consistently forced to see what you’re aiming for. Weigh yourself everyday to measure progress and work your ass off to achieve your target.”
4
Keep at it
“A positive attitude is essential to achieving my goals. Rewarding myself for hard work is extra motivation to keep going. If you look at fitness as something confined to a certain time of year, you’re sentencing yourself to yo-yoing weight and frequent crash diets. I try to see my health and fitness as a lifestyle that benefits me, rather than something I have to do.”
