If you are having trouble imagining an early morning “rise and shine” on cold winter mornings, let me help you find joy for the break of dawn fitness.

Firstly and thankfully, many of us do have the ability to get out of bed in winter – eventually!

Therefore our statement of “rising and shining” on a cold winter morning is made up of 50% ability (rising) and 50% probability (shining). Since we have the ability, we need to only work on increasing the likelihood to a degree higher than 0% to tip the scale towards early rising, here’s how…

When we look at what we truly desire in life, I can guarantee it’s not the ability to stay in bed all day- every day! It follows then, our true desire is to maintain our body’s fitness with little or no effort.

Sadly our muscles respond poorly to winter’s hibernation, and as we age the rate of muscle tone deterioration accelerates with lack of movement, as seen here for bedridden seniors:

“So significant can the muscle loss be in bedridden seniors that while complete bed rest causes young adults to lose about 1% of muscle mass per day, the elderly may lose up to 5% per day secondary to age-related decreases in growth hormone. In these individuals, muscle mass loss is greatest in the antigravity muscles (those used to sit up, stand up, and pull up). It can require up to 2 weeks of reconditioning to return to baseline function for each day of absolute bed rest.” (Beers MH, Porter RS, Jones TV, et al. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy),

We are unlikely to spend days in bed avoiding the cold of a winter’s day. We are more likely that on eventual rising, to feel gloomy for the winter’s cold – Ho Hum..

However, the feel-good shine of early morning exercise is well documented even on cold winter days. Rarely does anyone regret having exercised. Therefore, in the dead of winter, we are faced with a tough choice in well being, either to “rise and shine” or meet the day with gloom…

I was recently asked for my “why” for exercise, and it’s merely this…I want to live comfortably with health as I age…it is this that tips my resolve (ever so slightly) towards early morning exercise.

Reluctantly, I know, fitness is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration…and the greatest pain of all is the 5 seconds it takes me to fling the covers of my warm winter bed and get into my morning exercise program!

Rise with health and download your 9-minute cardio core and strength beginner workout and shine on with WELLth! The link is below for you.

Live well with Health and WELLth!  

Written by Anna: Nutritionist and Exercise Coach @SquareBoxFitness.com