Sneaky tips and tricks from a personal trainer on staying fit this winter

It’s cold, it’s dark, it’s WET. It can be really hard to stay motivated in Vancouver’s grey and rainy fall and winter, especially when you’ve got kids to pick up, family dinners to cook, soccer practices to attend, and little bodies to bathe. We could all use that extra kick that endorphins bring to help us power through those seasonal blues. We talked to personal trainer Karina Stampfli of Compass Fitness to get her advice on how we can all make the most of fitness through fall and winter.

karina stampfil — Personal trainer Karina Stampfli of Compass Fitness shows us the meaning of goals

Here are some simple solutions from Karina

Apps!

I can’t say enough about how accessible and easy they make fitness. Here are some of my top app choices:

Sworkit by Nexcercise personalized video workouts where you can choose strength, cardio or stretching and choose 5 to 60 minute workouts. Follow the video trainer to know exactly what to do. Free version and upgrades.

7 Minute Workouts by Fitness Guide Inc: Apple Watch compatible – there are several versions of this app from free versions to paid. The gist? 7-minute workouts of 12 exercises performed for 30 seconds with 10 seconds. If you have heard of Tabata training, this is basically it.

Map My Walk by Under Armour : There is also Map My Run. The best thing about this app is it is GPS-based and you can track your route and times as well as compare to other people using the same route with the app. This app allows you to connect a multitude of activity devices to import all your data into once place!

C25K by Zen Labs : Want to learn to run 5k, 10k or even 25k? This app is ideal for first-time runners if you can squeeze in 30 minutes, 3 days a week, 8 weeks total to achieve running a whole 5k without stopping! Fully integrated with MyFitnessPal.

Here are my sneaky tricks and tips – involve your kids in these!

Set recurring alarms in your phone at random times!

Example reminder: 30 squat. The best thing about this is you can “ignore” the reminder and set it for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or however long you need if you’re in public or the situation is not ideal to stop and complete your task!

Use the commercial breaks!

You finally get to sit down and watch some TV. Great. Not so fast, though! Every commercial break, get up and choose your vice and move for the full duration of the commercial. You can mix it up and do some running on the spot, lunges, bicycle crunches, you name it! Netflix watcher? No problem – after every episode, take 5 minutes to exercise.

Join an upfront paid weekly class

You have now committed to that group of sessions with no rainchecks! Go! You will love it, learn something new, and meet new people. Most of these groups become quite tightknit and after your class the group usually grab a coffee together and have some social time.

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The benefits of getting a personal trainer if people decide to go that route.

Getting a personal trainer may sound daunting, but it is far from it. I recommend a trainer to anyone who is brand new to fitness, looking to get back into fitness after an extended time off, or even someone who has been active seeking to learn something new. Most trainers will offer a no charge or credited consultation to assess your current lifestyle and goals. This is usually followed by a short training session to assess mobility, balance, muscle imbalances, strength, and flexibility. Most trainers offer sessions one on one, doubles, or groups that cap so they can still give you a personal training experience for a lesser cost. Arranging a group with your friends is a surefire way to keep to your program and have a great support network plus the added bonus of a professional to keep you up to date with fun new exercises and push you harder than you thought you could ever do!