Charlotte Tooth’s top 5 fitness tips to keep you motivated in the winter

As the weather changes and we approach the end of the year, it can be difficult to keep on track with your fitness goals. The nights get darker and the air a little cooler. All you want to do is stay indoors and snuggle up to Netflix. But a great way to beat the winter slump and feel your greatest is to do the exact opposite. Train outdoors. Finding a small park or green area to workout will make such a huge difference to your energy levels and mood that you’ll be bouncing around like Tigger. OK, maybe not quite. But you’ll definitely feel better. Easier said than done, we know.  Thankfully, Charlotte Tooth shares with us some of her top tips for training outdoors:

1. Make sure you have comfortable and warm training clothes. Sounds obvious, but carefully considering the materials you wear will make a difference. Long sleeve tops and slightly thicker leggings will ensure you warm up your muscles efficiently too. I love Sweaty Betty’s Lateral Thermal Run Leggings; the reflective taping is great for nighttime visibility, especially as the days get shorter.

2. Take time to do a 5 minute warm up at home to ensure your body adapts quickly to the outdoor weather. I like to base my pre-outdoor warm up on circling all the joints in the body, starting at the neck, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. This will help the synovial fluid in the joints to become more fluid, allowing for easier movement and ultimately a safer, more effective workout.

3. If you do enjoy running, try mixing up your normal route by playing ‘spot the bench!’ Each time you see a bench, take 10 press-ups and 10 full range tricep dips with your hands on the bench. You can of course target different areas of the body depending on what goals you have. Perhaps it could be step-ups on the bench or bench lunges. They’re super for targeting lower body fat.

We all have those days where we feel like getting up is the end of the world.

4. Remember that your outdoor workout doesn’t always have to be about running. You can do some great bodyweight exercises in the outdoors which will increase your strength and flexibility. Try my favourite ‘Can-Can’ burpees. Stand tall, kick the right leg forward, then the left ensuring the leg stays straight the whole time. Follow with a full burpee, placing the hands on the floor and stepping the legs back to high plank position and repeat. Try 4-6 different body weight exercises. 20 seconds explosive work. Followed by 10 seconds of rest. Opt to complete 3 sets for each exercise. It’ll spike your heart rate and push you into your calorie-burning zone. By the end of it you definitely won’t feel the cold.

5. Plan ahead. We all have those days where we feel like getting up is the end of the world. But if you prepare your workout gear next to your bed the night before and have a nutritious breakfast planned post workout, you will be even more psyched to get up and go. I sometimes like to look up inspiring quotes online, and when I find one which fits, I write it on a piece of paper and leave it on my running shoes to inspire me the next time I workout.

Remember, every day is a good day to workout. As long as you’re healthy and injury free, go out there and get inspired by the beauty of the outdoors. It may not be easy to start, but the feeling afterwards will be well worth it!

Charlotte Tooth is a professional dancer and personal trainer. She teaches classes at barrecore (Kings Road) and GymClass (Notting Hill) and is an ambassador for Sweaty Betty in between performances.