Brave the cold & fire up your fitness

Welcome to Winter! Chilly mornings have made themselves at home here in Geelong and we cant deny that it is tempting to roll over in bed and pull the blankets up and over our heads as our alarm signals its time to get up !

Most of our members make the most of training at the gym in the morning. Its a space that is warm and dry! We encourage you to keep your momentum during winter and join us. We know magic is found in the morning and there is no better way to start the day than with movement!

Staying warm and lying in bed sounds nice, but sleeping in will not improve your fitness levels and will not bring you results!

Many of our members have enjoyed reaping the benefits of their improved strength and fitness and challenging themselves by running outside. We often hear from members how excited they are that their training here with us is crossing over to the activity they do outside the gym! Thats a HUGE win for us. Whether you are running outside to improve your endurance or simply enjoying the fresh air – we encourage you to keep going, even as the temperatures drop slightly!

Many members often exclaim “I am not a runner!”

If you have found yourself somehow managing to peel yourself away from your bed, layering up with clothes and lacing your shoes – we have some news for you…

You are officially a runner!!

Being a runner has nothing to do with the pace you set or where you place in an event. If you show up and put one foot in front of the other – you are a runner!

But how do you ensure that you remain a runner throughout winter ?

Comfort is a very important factor and ensuring that you are wearing gear that is appropriate, functional and warm can be the difference between enjoying a run on a brisk morning – and not being able to feel your extremities!

Our biggest tip to begin with is to not over dress!! You should dress for weather that is about 10 degrees warmer than it actually is. As you run, you will warm up significantly. In our experience it takes about 9 minutes of constant motion until you no longer feel the cold. If you are over dressed you will become too hot and uncomfortable, and either have to carry unnecessary layers of clothing or feel like you have to stop running altogether. Use the cold as motivation to start moving straight away – and know that you will be warmer soon!

The base layer of your outfit is very important. This means the clothing that is touching your skin. We recommend dri fit/wicking items. This will ensure that your clothing doesn’t get wet from your own sweat. This is important in ensuring that you don’t feel frozen once you stop running. It will also prevent uncomfortable rubbing and chaffing. You can wear cotton items over the top of an adequate base layer – the aim is just to keep sweat and moisture off your skin.

Our final tip is to keep coming to morning sessions at Geelong Boxing Club! If you really cant face the cold- keep joining us in the gym for our morning group sessions. Accountability to a group of supportive people who are looking forward to seeing you can often be the motivation you need to ensure you brave cold mornings! When you notice that others are not letting the excuse of cold weather stop them from working towards their health and fitness goals – you will no longer allow yourself to be held back by that excuse!

Life is better when you are running.. or kicking.. or lifting… or whatever it is that gets you up and moving!