By Charlotte Hope, Lifestyle Editor, @TLE_lifestyle
Ok I admit it, when the clocks go back and it’s dark at 5pm, ALL I want to do is retreat to my living room, with a HUGE box of chocolates (well for as long as chocolate exists) and sit there, vegetating until spring. I always thought I wasn’t alone and new research has confirmed it, thank the lord.
Women are LAZY in winter; boys deal with it. I will tone up for a week in Ibiza in May, until then, it’s PJ’s, cheese and New Girl Box sets. The survey revealed that six in ten women admit they ‘let themselves go’ in the winter – because they can hide their figure beneath chunky clothing.
A study of 2,000 people found a large percentage turn a blind eye to things such as calorie counts and fat content because no-one can see their bare flesh thanks to baggy jumpers and thick coats.
The study also found almost one in two women shave their legs less regularly because they are kept well hidden during the winter.
Darker days and colder weather have led to many Brits taking a break from worrying about their image, with nearly half the men and women studied admitting their appearance goes downhill.
A further six in ten said the shorter days leave them with less energy which leads to them being far less concerned with the way they look.
The study was commissioned by LA fitness to mark the launch of their LA Primal Series – a series of five 30 minute high intensity classes building on the trend of natural movement in fitness.
Tony Orme, Marketing Director for LA Fitness, said: ‘’When the cold winter months come along, it’s easy to feel we should hide away or feel less regard for how we’re looking and feeling.
‘’And because of this, many will fall off the diet and fitness wagon in favour of more sedentary living or struggle to find the motivation they need to stay healthy.
‘’It’s understandable to want to stay wrapped up and embrace the comfort foods, but by keeping to an easy to manage exercise routine, people can conquer the winter blues and feel good about themselves all through the year.
“At this time of year, many Brits can struggle to exercise simply because of the weather and the shorter days – and so our Primal Series classes are ideal for people who want a quick high intensity 30 minute workout which gets results quicker.”
The study also found a square-eyed four in ten currently devouring a lot of television this winter and have box sets or seasons of their favourite shows ready to be watched in bulk.
And 48 per cent will be gorging on comfort food – while two thirds confessed they indulge in just being lazy when the weather turns cold and dark.
Over a third of women said they stop wearing heels or strappy shoes and focus on shoes that are comfortable and three in ten stop painting their toenails in the colder months.
Other areas women deliberately let slip are worrying about the bikini areas and deciding to order more takeaways.
While being permanently in a hoody, ditching the fake tan and even opting to wear ‘big pants’ was common.
Men are no better with a third putting on weight over the winter, going to the gym less, growing facial hair and shaving less and wearing loose-fitting clothing all common.
In fact, a third of British men and women said they are much less concerned about their overall image in the winter months.
While half of those in relationships admitted their partner puts on a noticeable amount of weight in the winter – a cheeky quarter of those have even tried to subtly hint to their loved one to try and lose it.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that one in five do absolutely no exercise during the winter and 40 per cent do much less than normal.
In fact, when asked about how they exercise during the winter months, the most common form of ‘exercise’ for a British person was ‘I walk my dog’.
But the reasons behind many adults being put off changing the amount of exercise they do each week were not having a lot of time and thinking ‘it will take too long to notice any results.
Top 10 things Brits consider exercise
1.Going up the stairs
2.Cleaning
3.Gardening
4.Hoovering
5.Carrying heavy shopping
6.Changing the bed sheets
7.Sex
8.Mowing the lawn
9.Walking up the stairs in office
10.Hanging out the washing
Photocredit Wikipedia/Crazypaco