Embrace a Winter Reset That Recharges Your Body, Mind, and Routine
Many recommendations related to your winter health and fitness routine focus on keeping you on track to achieve your goals, with tips to maintain motivation levels, pick up the intensity and get the most from quieter gyms.
However, it’s time we reframed winter wellness. While winter is certainly the ideal season to get ahead by making serious strength and muscle gains, it’s not always about going to extremes or keeping your foot firmly on the gas.
Burnt out
With the fast pace of our busy, always-on work and personal lives, it’s not uncommon to feel drained and burnt out by mid-year.
Burnout is defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that often occurs due to prolonged exposure to high levels of stress¹.
People affected by burnout often feel physically and emotionally exhausted, experiencing a lack of energy, feeling overwhelmed and tired, and anxious and depressed.
Those suffering from burnout may even develop physical symptoms, like pain and digestive issues².
Digging a deeper hole
While your desire to keep your progress on track is commendable, the path to your best self isn’t always linear.
In fact, by maintaining an “all or nothing” mindset, you can dig yourself a deeper hole, exacerbating your burnout and potentially derailing your progress in the second half of the year.
It is also important to understand that exponential jumps in strength and fitness typically come after a rest and reset period – it’s the key principle behind training periodisation.
That’s why it’s worth considering a more balanced approach to winter wellness, which should include better lifestyle and food choices that build you up, not burn you out.
Beat burnout
This means potentially taking time away from your regular training routine and turning down the intensity and volume for a few weeks.
The easiest options include engaging in lower-intensity exercise and other restorative activities like yoga that help rejuvenate your mind and body.
Other restorative activities like a regular sports massage, sauna sessions, or mobility routines are also ideal options to add to your winter routine to help you recharge.
Munch mindfully
It is also advisable to take a more mindful approach to the common winter comfort foods that dominate diets in the colder months.
Embracing the 80:20 principle suggests that 80% of the time, you focus on eating a well-balanced diet composed predominantly of healthful whole, natural foods, and 20% of the time, you allow for more indulgent choices.
In winter, this might mean enjoying a comforting calorie-dense hearty meal occasionally but without guilt.
The key is balance. If 80% of your meals are nutrient-dense and supportive of your well-being, the occasional treat won’t derail your progress and can even help prevent feelings of deprivation that lead to feelings of guilt, added stress and binges.
You can also choose better-for-you snack options with products from the Primal fortified snack range, like Primal Protein Chips or Primal Protein Shake RTD. These smart snack swaps taste great and boost your daily protein intake, which means they won’t make your winter diet plan feel restrictive with no indulgences.
Supercharge your body
Supplements and functional foods are a great addition to any winter wellness plan as they can help boost your body’s natural processes and functions.
Take Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) for example. Adding a daily dose of 2 Primal Apple Cider Vinegar capsules a day is an easy and convenient way to boost your metabolism and support healthy digestion.
For added benefits, you can also swap your regular whey protein supplement for Primal Skinny Whey. This high-protein shake with digestive enzymes is the perfect option for lighter meals or smoothies, with fewer calories and carbs to help you keep winter weight gain at bay without sacrificing your protein requirements.
And after focusing so much time on products that support your muscles, winter is a great time to give your tendons and ligaments some TLC after all the wear and tear. Primal Beauty Collagen contains type I and III hydrolysed collagen. You’ll also get added beauty benefits for skin, hair and nails, offering a subtle self-care boost without the need to overhaul your skincare routine.
Hibernate
It is also a good time to adjust your sleep schedule to get at least eight hours of sleep a night.
Winter significantly impacts our circadian rhythm – the internal clock that dictates our sleep-wake cycle. The primary culprit is reduced exposure to natural light and the increased duration of darkness.
Sleep is a highly restorative period that helps the nervous system self-regulate and transition from ‘fight-or-flight’ mode back to the ‘rest-and-digest’ state.
Studies³ suggest that we experience longer REM sleep (the dreaming stage) in winter compared to summer, and that total sleep time is slightly longer in winter. However, the quality of sleep can be affected if our rhythm is misaligned.
References:
- Edú-Valsania S, Laguía A, Moriano JA. Burnout: A Review of Theory and Measurement. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 4;19(3):1780. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031780. PMID: 35162802; PMCID: PMC8834764.
- InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Depression: Learn More – What is burnout? [Updated 2024 Apr 15]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27928.
- Seidler, A. Weihrich, K. Bes, F. de Zeeuw, J. Kunz, D. Seasonality of human sleep: Polysomnographic data of a neuropsychiatric sleep clinic. Frontiers in Neuroscience.Volume 17 2023. DOI=10.3389/fnins.2023.1105233. ISSN=1662-453X. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1105233