20 Day Challenge

Today is 1^st December which means we are now well and truly into the holiday season.  With just 24 days left until Christmas, the festivities will be starting in full force and the next three weeks will see chocolates and mince pies flowing freely! 

Usually around this time of year, with the dark nights and cold weather, I find that my motivation to workout decreases significantly and I find it hard to get into a nice routine with exercise.  Instead, my workouts are sporadic and I never feel fully committed to them.  I also feel that during the winter I actually need exercise the most to stop me from becoming depressed due to the lack of sunlight……and of course to prevent the mince pies from sticking to my hips too much.  I may not be trying to lose weight but that doesn’t mean I am happy to gain exponentially, so I strive to maintain a happy balance between eating what I like and moving a little to make me feel good.

This year I have come up with a plan to help me stay focussed.  My aim is to exercise for 20 days out of the 24 left before Christmas, meaning that realistically I will be working out for six days each week.  This isn’t a lot but it’s something that I haven’t yet managed to achieve throughout the winter period.  When it’s cold and dark outside, snuggling up on the couch seems so much more inviting.  

This challenge may sound simple – and it is – but it is made slightly more difficult by the fact that I am not a gym member so I don’t automatically have a nice, temperature controlled, safe environment to workout in.  I can either brave the elements outside, or exercise at home, which is why I won’t be making a plan that is too specific with certain activities scheduled for particular days of the week.  There is no point saying I am going to run every Tuesday only to find that on Monday the weather was fine and dry and perfect for running but Tuesday is pouring with rain.  I would rather just commit to exercising a certain number of days per week and then see what I feel like doing on any given day.  Generally I like to have a degree of flexibility and I know myself well enough to say that I will only come to resent a plan that is too rigid.

I have found that my body prefers not to do too much high impact activity, so although I will be making an effort to move for 6 days of the week it will never be in the form of hardcore training like running 10 miles or cycling 30 miles.  That kind of endurance exercise just isn’t for me; I much prefer some gentle yoga, doing an exercise DVD, going for a short run or doing a step workout.  My aim is simply to increase my heart rate and sweat.  It may not seem like a lot but it is certainly enough.

So that is my plan.  Not only will I be counting down the days until Christmas by eating the chocolates in my advent calendar, I will also be doing so with every workout that I complete.