The most commonly used phrase in England for the next few months will undoubtedly be, ‘It’s bloody freezing’. The summer has well and truly disappeared and we seem to have skipped Autumn altogether and dived straight into the misery that is the British winter. That’s grey days, wet mornings, sodden evenings, cold air and freezing winds. Combined with the misery of a general election it’s sure to be a fun few months!
Now us coaches notice trends throughout the year and at this time of year we one trend we see is a sudden and dramatic drop in certain people coming to classes (you know who you are!!). The sheer idea of venturing out to the box in anything other than glorious sunshine sends a shiver down their spine and the idea of a coffee (or something stronger), the sofa and Netflix is a far more attractive offer. Until your Christmas party is only a week away and you want to look good or you realise New Years is soon and you can’t fit into that outfit you had planned or you acknowledge that feeling great is something you want year round and nailing Quality Street isn’t working.
Don’t worry, we understand! We know it’s cold, we know it’s wet and we know the idea of training can be rough this time of year. So here’s our guide to staying warm at the box this winter:
Layers – the not so secret secret to keeping warm is layers. Throwing on the worlds thickest outer layer over a t-shirt will keep you warm in the short term but it will also make you sweat like a mother fucker. Wet skin then gets cold and will make you feel cold. By layering you will have multiple options to take off and put on. You can also utilise some space age technology in the form of wicking fabrics to keep sweat away from the skin, stopping those damp chills. A base layer, an insulation layer, a normal layer and then an outer layer are all good ideas.
Trousers – we all know shorts are better for exercising, fact. But with the cold weather maybe its time to invest in a pair of decent trackies / leggings. Primarks 10 pairs for a £1 version won’t do. You need a decent, thick pair of bottoms to keep you warm and last for more than a week!
Hats – have you noticed the coaches all wear hats. Some stupidly high percentage of body heat is lost through your head. By donning a stylish head piece you will keep some heat in, your ears warm, you wont have to worry how your hair looks and you might win some fashion points too! Bobble hats obviously look best, just avoid the small pointless style of hat that Jordan wears!
Get Re-dressed – we’ve all started a workout in 12 layers, a hat, trousers and with a hot water bottle in our waistband only to finish the WOD in just our pants crawling towards the door looking for some cool air. Then boom 5 minutes later you’re shaking, your lips have turned blue and it takes you until the next day to feel remotely warm. As fast as your body heats up, it cools down. Once you’ve finished training get some layers back on, get your hat back on and let your body temperature come down from there. Letting it plummet down to zero is not ideal!
Move – when you get to the box I know it’s fun to stand there and go ‘fuck its cold’ – I do it every day. The more productive option is to move. Even gently mobilising your joints will start to get your body working and your temperature rising. Hitting some basic warm up movements – air squats, arm circles, leg swings, etc – will start to get you warm and negate the ‘its cold’ conversations. You could also take yourself off for that post-box run and really get your body temperature up!
Gloves – it pains me to write about them but gloves are a semi good idea. They will keep your hands warm but they will freeze your soul. They will also encourage endless mocking, but your hands will be warm. The choice is yours.
So, don’t stay home this winter and negate all your hard earned training so far this year. Wrap up, warm up and get to the box to keep your fitness on track.