George Hurbert once said that “every mile is two in winter”
And isn’t it so true when it comes to exercising in the winter. It is twice as difficult to get up at 5 am in the morning to go to the gym or bravely face the winter cold for a morning jog. It’s dark, cold and so much easier to rather stay in bed for “just five more minutes”. The problem is that “five more minutes” becomes ten minutes, becomes twenty minutes and becomes time to get ready for work.
The secret is making exercise a habit and staying in the habit. Don’t minimize your exercise program, whether it is going to gym at 5 am or an afternoon run, just because it is getting darker earlier or the temperature is a bit lower than you would prefer.
Help yourself get trough the worst “winter exercise blues” by finding a way to motivate or reward yourself. Find someone willing to exercise with you, so that you can push each other to go further, do better or run faster. Set some short and long term goals. What do you want to achieve? Run a marathon; lose some weight or just stay fit and keep healthy. Prepare an exercise program according to the goals you have set for yourself.
If you are a first time exerciser or someone that is just out of the habit and have convinced yourself to start exercising, start small. Ask for some help, maybe a personal trainer or a conditioning coach. The important thing when it comes to exercising is to have fun. So if you enjoy running…run, if it’s dancing you prefer…dance and if it is walking, well these boots were made for walking…walk.
To help you on your way, here are 5 sure-fire tips to facilitate the effort:
1> Drink water. Just because its cold doesn’t mean you need stop. 2 liters a day is still the recommended volume.
2> Eat 5 portions of fruit and/or vegetables per day. Oranges and the like are now in season so enjoy the variety this brings.
3> Keep your exercise habit going – it’s far easier than having to start from scratch in Spring.
4> As for the cold, well, it’s said that ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing’. Look into a good pair of thermal compression garments, there’s a wide range available on the market.
5> Finally, when all else fails, don’t think about it, just get up and do it. The only way to finish is to start.
Good Luck
Dr. Ian Morris - teamdoctor of the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs
Sal graag by die Dok wil hoor, my seun speel rugby stewige oukie, maar gedurende die wedstryd kry hy ek hoop ek spel dit reg chins pin, amper soos krampe in kuite. Baie se dis te min Calsuim, te veel rooi vleis , ander se vitamine ek weet ook nie meer nie. Wat kan ek vir die oukie kry of doen.
As ek die klagte reg verstaan, klink my ons het hier te doene met ‘n geval van ’shin splints’ maar die beskrywing is vaag en daars ‘n hele ander klomp vrae wat eers ge-antwoord moet word om ‘n diagnose te kan bewerkstellig. Die toestand ’shin splints’ word gewoonlik veroorsaak deur ‘n hele klomp faktore maar is meestal ‘n gevolg van oor-eising, op harde oppervlaktes hardloop of die verkeerde skoene/steuwels. Soos ek gese het, moet ‘n mens ook ander toestande uitskakel voordat ‘n definitiewe diagnose gemaak kan word. My voorstel sal wees dat jy jou seun na ‘n sport dokter of fisioterapeut toe neem vir ondersoek en behandeling, en om ‘n diagnose te maak en daarvolgens, die korrekte behandeling toe te pas. Ek stel die bogenoemde aksie verder voor weens die feit dat die beskrywing van die huidige toestand nie heeltemal inpas met shin splints nie maar ook dalk met chroniese kompartment sindroom, wat ‘n ander toetsand is maar kan wel saam met shin splints voorkom, sal ooreenstem en dis belangrik om tussen die twee toestande te skei.
Dr. Ian Morris
Kan ons asseblief iets aan die cheetahs se afrigtingspan doen? Kan die bestuur asseblief die vraag beantwoord?
Good article, Thanks. my name Philip.
Goeie more Dok
Het jy dalk ‘n kitsoplossing vir Blou Bul ondersteuners met babelaas vanoggend?
Paul. julle blou bul ondersteuners het rerig daai babelaas verdien. geniet hom.
thanks dok!!!
Enige nuus op Wilton Pieterse ?
Great article. Thanks for the great resource.