So as Halloween approaches, the kids are all looking forward to getting dressed up and going out to scare their ‘unexpecting’ neighbours whilst coaxing their little treats from them! They spend endless nights before deciding on what to wear to make them spectacular on the big night! Ah, the beauty of childhood innocence when life is full of excitement and adventure and our biggest worry is not knowing whether to be the Wicked Witch or Count Dracula as the abundance of forthcoming treats could be severely affected on the choices we make.
As we age that carefree lifestyle becomes a little more complicated and life becomes a lot more demanding, but, like as a child, the choices that we make can and will affect our future. This is especially important when it comes to our lifestyle choices. How we regard our health is imperative to what ‘treats’ our future will bring…energy, longevity, vitality or lethargy, sickness and disease. 
So many people get stuck in a rut as the nights grow longer and winter approaches. They feel they can’t get out for their walk/run/cycle due to the weather turning or no street lighting depending where you live. This can completely affect not only your physical health but also your mental health and instead of finding an alternative way to keep fit, they let themselves ‘go’ and by the time Christmas comes they are so upset with their bad choices!
So, what ‘Spooks’ you more at this time of the year? Is it the lack of daylight when you finish work that you can’t keep up your summer routine, is it the fear of piling on the pounds and then dreading the festive season ahead that’s full of parties and family gatherings or is it the dread of loneliness of coming home from work, closing the door and not interacting with anyone until the next day?
There is a way to prevent all those monstrous fears enveloping your world and that is to simply find a solution to get those endorphins flowing, a solution through exercise and good nutrition. We tend to forget that when the days shorten, it is only the daylight that fades, not the actual amount of hours! That time we spent after work being active all summer is still available, it may just be the venue that needs altered. It’s really not an excuse to throw ourselves on the sofa, flick on the TV and comfort eat the hours away… all because it’s ‘dark outside’???
Exercise has proven to help people combat feeling of the blues in the winter. Not only does it improve mood, but it also has been shown to reduce stress, which often exacerbates feelings of depression brought on by the winter blues. What better time of year than now to throw yourself into a fitness program to while away the long evenings. This is a great chance to recreate yourself and your body and have an energy unknown to you before when you chose to hibernate the winter months!
Why not challenge yourself, set yourself a goal and work towards it every day? In the words of the great American Novelist Ernest Hemmingway “There is nothing noble to being superior to your fellow man, true nobility is being superior to your former self”. So on the basis of that quote, why not sign up for our Clare Halloween Challenge here at Ozone this month of October. 
Come in and put yourself to the test and whatever your fitness level, it’s not all about winning, use this as a time to improve yourself in any way possible. You can partake as a solo entrant or grab a few friends and build a team! Even if you are not a member we will issue you with a FREE 7 day pass for use of our gym facility so you can practice and set your best times over the course of the month! The entrants with the best scores will be invited back to partake in the final challenge on Saturday 29th October and be in with a chance to win a host of prizes generously sponsored by local businesses!
Don’t get stuck in a rut this winter, kick start the ‘new you’ with a fun and entertaining challenge and then you can spend your winter on improving your fitness thereafter!
