FEELING GREAT: Investing in warmer clothing will keep exercise enjoyable

They impact your life and change your daily routines. Apart from a lack of vitamin D – the chemical your body creates when you’re in the sun that make you feel great – the darkness also changes your exercise habits, and it gives people an excuse to do so.

If you’re not careful, you’ll suffer the double whammy of a lack of both vitamin D and the endorphins your body produces when you’re active or exercising, the real reason why people suffer the winter blues.

You might be forgiven for thinking you’ve got that SAD syndrome (seasonal affective disorder), but in reality, no such condition exists.

Quick question: Did you know that visitors to the Paul Gough Physio Rooms suffering with lower back stiffness increase by more than 30% between October and April?

In summer, it’s easy to be active. But chances are dark nights mean it’s a lot easier to take one look out of the window and stay in.

That means you end up spending more time indoors, while sitting on the couch and staring at the TV, which means no exercise.

The solution is simple - don’t change anything. The exercise routine shouldn’t change.

Where you do it (the sea front or park), doesn’t need to change and even the why you do it (to feel great and keep healthy), shouldn’t. The only thing that needs to change is what you wear to shut out the cold and damp and keep you safe in the dark.

It’s just a simple case of investing in the right clothes and equipment.

I’m a big believer that the only difference between a good day and bad day is the clothing you’re wearing.

Research suggests that treating yourself to the right clothing or equipment will make exercising more pleasant and you are more likely to sustain it, even in winter.

If you’re serious about your health and you do want to keep active, consider investing just a little bit of time and money on warmer exercise clothing or reflective equipment to make exercising much more enjoyable and likely to happen regularly, as well as safer.

For more tips and advice, please call 01429 866771 or visit paulgoughphysio.com.