How To Get Your Ultimate Summer Body In Winter

Winter. The sun is up late and away early, making it dark and cold. It is a struggle to pull yourself out of your warm, toasty bed and into your tights and get moving. We crave comfort food, and eat with reckless abandonment – summer seems so far away. If the sun doesn’t want to get out of bed early why should we, right? We tell ourselves – ‘I’ll start tomorrow’. Suddenly tomorrow is mid-October and we are promising ourselves next winter will be different. Time to step away from the hot chocolate – summer bodies are made in Winter!

Here are my top tips on staying motivated and active this winter. A perfect winter body will soon become a sizzling summer body.

Invest in new activewear

What a whirlwind the past 12 months has been! This was taken as part if the Top 5 shoot for Women's Health Magazine Next Fitness Star. I can't even being to tell you how shocked I was when I actually won! It has been such an unbelievable, surreal experience. With so many fun events to be a part of like #FitNightOut tonight. It is going to be SO. MUCH. FUN! @womenshealthaus @pumaau

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A little bit of retail therapy ALWAYS helps. You will be so excited to show off your new gear you will be jumping out of bed to choose your outfit.

Keep it inside

One thing I learnt from my accident was the power of the mind. Despite being my demise, every day I spent away from the gym was another day that fuelled my determination to get back. Despite being my all time favourite movement pull-up's were my hardest mental hurdle, my fear of falling again was overwhelming. I still over chalk my hands, and then chalk them again if there is the slightest amount of sweat on them. I don't know if you can ever completely eliminate the fear, but I know I own it now, not the other way around ??

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The best way to avoid making excuses is having a contingency plan. It is so easy to hit snooze if the weather conditions outside aren’t ideal, so if you have a local gym or some pieces of equipment to use at home, you will have no excuse.

Eat clean

Good Friday Dinner ?? Baked whiting with lemon, chilli & rosemary #JERF

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Get your nutrition right and you have done almost 80% of the work. Avoid highly-processed food, eat a balanced diet of protein, fats and carbohydrates. Remember it is a balance of energy in and energy out – too much input, not enough output can contribute to weight gain. Even comfort foods can be clean – try slow cooked meats, stews, homemade soups they will warm you from the inside out. Make sure you strip your fridge and cupboard of any tempting treats, and never go grocery shopping when you are famished.

Grab your BFF

It is so good to be able to keep each other accountable – especially when you are trying to start a new routine. Choose someone that is going to help motivate you to get out of bed each morning.

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Mix it up

The concept of doing a handstand as an adult was terrifying. How could something that I did without thinking as a kid was suddenly be such a massive deal! The worries and fears that ran through my head- what if I landed on my head and broke my neck (again)! This was a great place to start, it helped to get used to the feeling of all the blood rushing to your head and helped to give me the confidence that I could support my weight. Ideally it's best to have your hips a little higher in the air. I am just a little limited by hamstring flexibility ? #handstand #inversion #progression

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If you are sticking to the same exercise regime every day, not only does it get a little yawn-worthy, but you will actually begin to see a plateau in your performance and in your results. This is as a result of adaptation, so it is important to mix up your routine – that could include varying the exercises, increasing the reps, weight or sets.

Show your strength

Bring non Monday! Looking forward to hitting a solid week of training ??‍♀️?? #crossfitgirls #crossfit

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Weights are so useful in so many ways as we get older. In the short term, strength training increases muscle tone and provides shape to our body. Plus it burns more calories than HIIT training and straight up cardio.

Hit the road

Big weekend ahead with the @twilightrunseries tomorrow afternoon, @the_running_lab strong feet seminar all weekend & @gatoradetriathlonseries Sunday morning. Time to test out my sweet endurance skills ???‍♀️????‍♀️#endurance #tritraining ? @amyjosephsphotography

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Get active on weekends when you can make the most of the cooler, sunny days. Look for some trails or bush walks around your area go hiking.

Consistency is the key to success

Don’t underestimate the power stretching! Stretching lengthens muscle and connective tissue, allowing for greater flexibility and mobility. This allows us to maintain the health of the muscle, enables good form during movement and helps to prevent injury. This becomes even more crucial when doing high intensity sports like CrossFit. Post wod (while you are still warm) is best and try to hold each pose for at least 2 mins. Be consistent and you will notice a massive change!! #heathiswealth @amyjosephsphotography ?

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It takes a couple of weeks to get into a routine. Generally, more than 3 days off exercise makes it psychologically more difficult to get back into it. Try to keep the consistency in your training to see the best results 3-4 times per week with a day rest in between should be achievable for most people.

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