As the darker nights begin to get a little longer and temperatures start to dip, you may find that it becomes increasingly difficult to find the time or the motivation to get outside and continue training.
Furthermore, it feels like there are numerous distractions which prevent us from solely focusing on maintaining our fitness. Whether it’s the continuous ping of our smartphones with social media notifications, the organization of our social calendars, or giving in to the temptation of sitting back and enjoying leisure activities such as firing up a video game, playing online slots, or simply getting stuck into a brand new book, we often find distractions that prevent us from focusing on maintaining our fitness.
There are several alternative activities which can act as an able deputy and help you to maintain your overall fitness. Thankfully, the majority of our suggestions aren’t particularly time-consuming, allowing you a little longer to reply to your DMs, dip into your favourite casino games or perhaps get a couple of chapters under your belt.
HIIT Training
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a hugely versatile pastime and can be enjoyed in a wide variety of settings. Due to its fast-paced nature, HIIT isn’t a particularly time-consuming activity, yet the results can be transformative to your overall fitness levels and will help to keep things ticking over until it is possible to get outside and hit the streets once again.
Popularised by YouTube fitness expert Joe Wickes, who led a 25-minute workout at Glastonbury in 2023, this form of workout has become increasingly popular over the last decade with many fitness fanatics citing a lack of time as a major impediment to getting outside and exercising regularly.
Characterised by short bursts of intense activity, this form of training isn’t for the faint-hearted; however, you can specify your level or simply choose to focus on different sets of muscles. As well as burning plenty of calories, HIIT is believed to significantly increase your body’s metabolism as well as helping to fend off chronic diseases such as diabetes, hyperextension and cardiovascular disease.
Yoga
Unlike HIIT, yoga is highly unlikely to send your heart rate soaring, however, it enables you to work on your flexibility. Mobility is essential for regular runners, and it’s imperative to keep your muscles loose, lessening your chances of sustaining a frustratingly niggly injury.
One of the benefits of yoga is that you can select your stretches and movements and vary them accordingly. We all tend to become far more sedentary during the winter months, therefore finding a way to allow your joints to move more freely will help to keep the body moving as well as having a significant impact on your balance and posture.
Furthermore, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that regular yoga sessions will help to improve your mental health.
Dancing
Luckily, we aren’t necessarily talking about attending a salsa class at your local church hall or hitting the floor at your local nightclub. Just a few minutes of grooving at home can unlock multiple health benefits. Shuffling around the kitchen to your favourite tunes is likely to increase muscular strength, improve your flexibility and coordination as well as providing numerous mental health advantages. Scientists have found that certain areas of the brain, such as those which control memory and organising, are likely to significantly benefit from a little bit of rhythmic movement.
This form of cardio exercise can be enjoyed as a group venture with the rest of the family, or it can take the form of an enjoyable stress-busting solo activity. Crucially, dancing will help to get the body moving, improve your cardiovascular health and hopefully put a big smile on your face.
