We all like to mention the weather. It’s the age old “breaking of the ice” so to speak. The start of many a conversation.
The first heatwave of Summer, those windy August days, and the onset of the cold snap each Winter; give us plenty of conversation starters.
Since the dawn of time, our environment has provided challenges to grow into stronger and more resilient versions of ourselves.
The nights on the Gym floor in Winter can be the most empowering; knowing that the “others” are home choosing a more comfortable existence.
Now that l am getting a little older (nearly 43) I am realising where that power comes from. That your best existence, or one that brings you Mental Strength and the sense that you are in control of your life can be “life hacked” by using your environment. Winter offers you just that.
Winter Life Hacking
Imagine you’re just a big battery, and our life choices effect our power level. On one end we have total power, otherwise known as self-discipline. A life where we feel in control and things just make sense and flow. When our battery is low, even simple daily tasks can seem unbearable. Basically, we feel we have no power over our lives and we certainly do not have the energy to make any changes.
Choosing to go to the Gym a couple of times a week will have an immediate effect on your Mental State and the quality of your life.
Tips for Powering Up Through Winter
- Prepare by wearing warm clothes to the Gym and to put on after training. This will keep your core temperature up and make your warmup prior to training easy. Strip back the layers as you heat up
- Make the decision to get to the Gym “X” times a week and just do it! Don’t miss an opportunity to go as there can be days where things come up and you cannot make it. Otherwise a week goes by and it is harder to restart when your power is low.
- Increasing our Mental Strength by using the environment can be done by a daily 1-minute full cold shower interval, or by choosing to go for a walk/run when conditions are not so nice. Studying the Wim Hof method of cold-water immersion and breathing will be next level again!
Most Important Tip – Be Careful what you say, your mind is listening!!
Choosing how we see things changes our perception on it. Mother Nature gave us the cold to harden and strengthen us, not to give us something to complain about to anyone that will listen. Choose your conversation starter carefully. Your mind is listening and looking for any sign of weakness.
In realising that the cold is not our enemy but an opportunity to embrace nature at its finest and get even stronger, both mentally and physically, than we have ever been!
Dan Bell