Keeping Winter Fit with Bee Smith

Come wintertime, our motivation to stay fit and healthy drops. Game of Thrones and popcorn on the couch anyone? It's during this season that we all become guilty of adding more than just excuses for not training. 

One person who knows how to help us stay focused is UC alum Bee Smith. Graduating from the University of Canberra in 2011 with a Bachelor of Commerce, Bee is a qualified accountant, personal trainer and nutrition and lifestyle coach. She founded BeeSmithFit in 2015, combining her passion for helping people with over 10 years' experience working in the health, finance and fitness industry.

Through her online business, Bee connects with clients from all over the world, coaching them into creating a positive, healthy and fit lifestyle through training and nutrition plans. She spends her days checking emails, setting up marketing campaigns and creating new content for her website and social media channels.

Her Game Changer program assists people in helping to take control of their body, health and most importantly, their life. While she loves nothing more than heading outdoors and indulging in home-made pizza with friends and family, Bee understands the importance of living a balanced lifestyle.

We recently sat down with Bee to ask her about her tips for staying fit during winter.

Bee's Tip's for Staying Fit (Winter Edition)

Get Creative at Home

You don't need to leave the house to get active! Even without any equipment you can get a great workout in. Clear a space; turn on some music and do a body weight circuit in the warmth and comfort of your lounge room. Choose 5 exercises and rotate through them for 12 repetitions each, repeating the circuit 4 times. 30 minutes of working out and you are done for the day without even leaving home.

Find a Friend

Having a training partner or accountability buddy will help you to stay motivated and get through the sessions on those days you just really don't want to. Choose someone who will also benefit from the motivation and you can help support each other along the way.

Early Bird Catches the Worm

Commit yourself to morning exercise and get your training out of the way before you start your day. In winter when the days are shorter and the weather is colder, it's easy to talk yourself out of training by the afternoon. If you get it done early it doesn't matter if you run out of time or would rather catch up with friends after work.

Challenge Accepted

Create a positive monthly challenge for yourself. Stay away from regular weight loss challenges where the primary goal is on how much weight you can lose in a small time frame. Set yourself mini positive challenges instead. For examples, choose a plank, squat or push-up challenge where you consistently work towards increasing the number, reps or time period you complete the exercise in. 

This will work on increasing your strength and see you reaching your goals without even realising it. These types of action based goals challenge you to push harder each time and often have a more positive effect on mindset and habits. Change up the challenges each month, and before you know it winter will be over and your fitness levels will be stronger than ever.

Just have Fun

No matter what time of the year it is, if you don't enjoy it, then you're going to have a hard time sticking with it. Keep in mind that exercise is simply being active. It doesn't have to mean spending hours in the gym or on the treadmill. Choose something active that you get enjoyment out of. 

It's only natural that it's even harder to stick to it when the weather is just as miserable as your workout routine. If you're looking forward to doing it then it's harder to talk yourself out of it. In fact, you will almost certainly make time for it – rain, hail or shine!

Words by Stephanie Cossetto & Bee Smith, images courtesy of Bee Smith.

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