Beat the February blues with some fitness tips from Alesha Dixon

Hello! It’s Alesha here. Happy February! Whilst it might be the shortest month of the year, February is also often cold and miserable; definitely not the best for motivating you to work out. Just the thought of going to the gym when it’s dark and rainy makes me feel upset! However, there are a couple of things you can do to give you an extra boost of motivation and to make you feel great and ready to work on your fitness.

So, check out some tips from me and LA fitness that should keep you going until Spring!

Winter can be harsh on your skin, and when your skin is bad and you are feeling self conscious, exercise becomes much less appealing.  Although it can seem like a good way to combat the cold, steaming hot showers and baths are much better for you if you drop the water temperature a bit. If you take baths, grab some lavender next time you’re out and about; just a drop will only will it smell amazing, but it will combat dry skin too. Finally, don’t forget to moisturise daily and exfoliate a couple of times a week – removing those dead skin cells lets the moisturiser do its job.

In addition, some foods can literally boost your mood to beat the Winter blues. For example, dark chocolate contains chemicals that boost serotonin levels – those are the chemicals that make you happy. However, mood foods don’t have to have lots of ProPoints® attached to them; fish contains Omega-3 and vitamin B12 which also help produce serotonin and yoghurt contains good bacteria to strengthen the immune system. Or, if you want to stick to your greens, try asparagus, which contains folic acid and magnesium (both of which have mood-lightening properties) and most green veggies contain some potassium, which has a calming effect. Hope that’s inspired you to seek out more foods to keep the Winter blues at bay.