Summer Bodies Are Made In The Winter

Photo by Andre Morgan from Pexels

This is a phrase I truly believe in for multiple reasons. With winter just around the bend (It’s always just around the bend in Michigan) I will explain why you are coming up on your prime opportunity to reach your fitness goals and why Winter is an excellent time to buckle down. Most people I know are not a big fan of the cold-snowy season that seems to make up a majority of our year here in Michigan, but I actually look forward to it.

Most of us strive to have that “beach body” for the summer, but what we don’t realize is that summer is filled with a lot of excuses, cheat days and weight gaining opportunities. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer! I just tend to notice that by the end of summer I’m almost always in a worse place than I was to start off. You have a scheduled that is packed full of fun-in-the-sun activities, you are grilling out and partying a lot with friends and family, you are sipping on drinks around a campfire or on a boat. Summer doesn’t allow a lot of free time to buckle down on the gym and tends to lend us many excuses to skip the gym (or your run) for an activity that is much more fun. Not to mention all the crap that needs to get done during the summer months. Mowing the lawn alone is enough to make me love winter. So with all these amazing reasons to skip the gym, eat delicious (not so healthy) food and hang out and drink with family and friends, it’s no wonder I tend to notice some weight gain by the end of the summer!

Why do I love winter? Simply put…there is nothing better to do! No lawn to mow, no landscaping to worry about, no leaves to worry about, no pool to keep up. You dietary indiscretions are also not so in your face on an almost near daily basis (less temptation for unhealthy food). This gives you the time to buckle down on getting your exercise in and focus on your diet. Most of us start to feel so cooped up during the winter that going to the gym is actually a welcomed break and a reason to get out of the house! You are generally wearing warm, bulky, comfy clothes that hide your summer gut so you’re not so worried about how you look and that little boost of confidence (or ignorance) inspires ones-self to step it up.

However, we do have a few major holidays during this time (Thanksgiving and Christmas) that tend to set people back a bit on their fitness goals. I’m also guilty of this, but what is the point of living a healthy life if you don’t live life to the fullest and enjoy the holidays with family and friends and just NOT worry about how many calories are in that apple pie for once. One or two days of splurging is not going to wreck your fitness goals. It might wreck the waistband of your favorite jeans for a few days, but it’s nothing that can’t be overcome over the next week or so. Turn your holidays into a break and try to truly enjoy yourself!

Another reason I love the whole quote “summer bodies are made in the winter” is the actual premise behind it that is lost on most people. It takes time and dedication to reach your fitness goals! Winter lasts for months and this is a big reason that the above quote rings so true. You can flip the script and say winter bodies are made in summer and it makes just as much sense (except you don’t see too many people bragging about their winter bodies). Any big change takes time and if you give yourself at least 3 months of dedication towards your fitness goals (especially without all the distractions that summer has to offer) than you are more likely to reach your goals! There is another inspirational quote you see around gyms these days, “You’ll thank yourself in 3 months”. So once the snow starts to fall, don’t just curl up on the couch under a blanket to warm up, get your rear end to the gym and break a sweat! You likely have nothing better to do and you’ll end up nice and toasty this way too, except your waistline come spring-time will be all the better for it.