Fit For Life: Keeping Fitness Momentum Into The Fall

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health + Lifestyle Contributor

Don't blame bad weather and the holidays for your weight gain. Fending off those unwanted pounds may be easier than you think.

It’s that time of year again. Time to put the beach chairs away, cover the pool, and the grill, put away the outdoor furniture, hang the bikes in the garage, and swap out the skimpy tight clothing for heavier, looser fitting, warmer wardrobe. It's the time of the year to bake apple pies, eat comfort food, and throw your hands in the air and blame the holidays coming at us, and bad weather for your weight gain and physical demise. Right?

Big mistake

Yes, it’s been proven that light deprivation due to shorter sunlight hours in the winter can cause depression and vitamin D deficiency. And due to the climate change, our biological defenses go into action, wanting to store more body fat for people in colder weather regions to keep warm. But with all that being said, good health and physical activity should not be seasonal, it should be a way of life. I realize that we turn up the intensity in the spring, because you want to peak and look your best for the summer, and concern about body image is a great motivator. While eating and training at a higher than normal level is not sustainable for most, you should never completely stop.

Train differently

Pro athletes train differently when the season starts, off season, and pre season, and so should we. In our "off" season, we still need to focus on our health and fitness even though there are a lot of distractions, and the lack of desire diminishes. You need to find reasons to maintain what you work so hard for, one reason being that you won’t need so hard to get ‘back into shape’ if you never truly lose being in shape. If you’re planning a winter getaway to somewhere warm, keep that trip in mind. If you ski, snowboard, or do other winter activities, or family activities with your children, keep that in mind. We’re already hearing about a tough winter, with lots of snow, so instead of looking forward to back strain and hurting muscles, let’s keep strong to have the stamina to shovel snow. Keeping these things, and others – finding your motivational ‘off season’ goals – are great ways to help you stay in top physical condition.

Off-Season tips

Now that you’ve got your motivation under control, here are a few things you can do to sustain your fitness. Hire a personal trainer to motivate you at the gym or at your house. When you pay for something, and put the appointment in the book, you are more likely to stick with the commitment. If you decide to do it on your own, I recommend joining a gym, otherwise you tend to get distracted at home. TV, phone, computers, and chores are all great intruders that help us procrastinate about indoor fitness. An alternative to a gym, and one I recommend highly, is to join the local YMCA. You can even get a family membership and most “Y’s” have been updated to include lots of activities for the family. You could look into what I call boutique fitness programs such as signing up with a small specialized studio that offers yoga, Pilates, boxing for fitness, or various other classes. There is no reason to let your health suffer when there are fun options available. And it’s also a good time to get your loved ones and friends moving, right along with you.

Matt Espeut has worked as a personal trainer for almost 20 years with clients ranging in age from 14 to 86. His focus is on overall health, strength, and functional conditioning. Holistic health and nutrition is the cornerstone of all his programs. Matt works in private and small group training available at your home or office location or at gym facilities. Matt offers his services to everyone wanting to be more fit and healthy, overweight young people, youth/collegiate athletes, and seniors. Matt has worked and continues to train at several facilities in the Providence area including Gold's Gym and CORE Studio, and he believes continued education is a must in his field. Email Matt: [email protected], check out his website at www.fitnessprofiles.net or on Facebook at Matt Espeut or on Twitter @MattEspeut.

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Fit For Life: Keeping Fitness Momentum Into The Fall

Big mistake

Train differently

Off-Season tips

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