Jane Wake, 45 is a sports scientist and fitness consultant and is the resident trainer for The Hungry Girl’s Little Black Dress Diet currently on ITV’s Lorraine. She shares her ultimate winter workout tips with Healthista
1. Go all-weather I try to exercise outside as much as I can and encourage my clients to as well. It’s psychologically better – even in the cold – to be out in the fresh air and it’s great for our sense of adventure. Even your local park is better than a treadmill.
2. Get the right kit and you can exercise in any weather Don’t wear a cotton tee because the moment it gets wet or sweaty it will cling to you and feel awful. Look for high-tech breathable fabrics that ‘wick’ moisture away from skin such as Nike’s Dri-Fit. Winter kit gets pricey so start in autumn with leggings, a t–shirt and the right sports bra (I wear two for running) and then in winter add a running hat in wicking fabric and a lightweight outdoor jacket (H&M are doing a great range at the moment). Healthista’s winter kit picks
3. Do HIIT High Impact Interval Training which involves intervals of fast / slow exercise for short periods. But you need to build up slowly if you’re not already fit. Here’s how: Go outside and walk for ten minutes to warm up. Do 20 seconds running, then 20 seconds walking and repeat that three times. Walk for two minutes. Then repeat the 20 second intervals three times and again, walk for two minutes. Continue that for ten minutes then walk for another ten minutes to cool down. Do this once a week for a month and build it up to twice a week to get the benefits which include increased fat burning and lean muscle mass.
4. Add functional training This means working with light weights and your own body weight in a ‘functional’ way by doing exercises that strengthen your ability to move through daily life. That could be picking up kids or shopping bags or sitting at a desk. The focus will be on building muscle, posture and core strength.
5. Build muscle, especially if you’re over 40 It prevents and shifts middle age spread and helps keep bones strong which is crucial. That means doing strength and conditioning sessions twice a week. That could be doing a Body Pump class or you could invest in a couple of personal training sessions to teach you the safe form and right moves that will make a difference. Most personal trainers will want to do themselves out of a job by showing you how to do exercises you can continue yourself. At £40-80 an hour, it’s money well spent. Find a trainer at the National Register of Personal Trainers
6. Make a target The most effective motivators for my clients are having targets, such as completing a 5K run – especially if it’s to raise money for something they care about – and to have a training partner. That means you become accountable to eachother with little room for lame excuses.
7. Be consistent Whether they are celebrities or real people, those that are really fit exercise more often than not and they stick with it. They won’t wait until they have a whole hour – who does? – they will do what they can even if they only have 20 minutes.
JANE’S WINTER WORKOUT SCHEDULE
3 X week
Running for around 45 minutes. ‘One will be interval training and the others long slow running or walk runs. Sometimes it’s running beside my son Daniel while he rides his bike in the park – it’s more important for me to spend time with my kids so I combine the two’.
2 X week
Strength and conditioning using light weight or resistance bands. ‘The latter are tubing bands that provide resistance and can be used in the park tied around a tree or in a hotel room tied around the door handle. They can be thrown in your handbag so you can create a gym wherever you are.’
1 X week
Pilates Flow ‘The link between stress and weight gain around the middle is now strong so we all need to do something that moves our body, focuses on our breath and calms our minds. For me it’s Pilates flow but yoga, tai chi or qui gong are great too. The main thing is taking at least a weekly hour out just for you and slowing down’.
Jane Wake specializes in pre and post natal fitness, (see www.baby-a-wake.co.uk) and is the creator of The Complete Ante and postnatal Fitness DVD £15.99. Resistance band set and workout programme are both available from janewake.co.uk
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