If you find yourself struggling to keep up your motivation for your workout routine, you are definitely not alone. It is so much harder to head out for a run or a gym session on a cold dark winter morning or a chilly winter evening after work.
So if your willpower needs a bit of a boost to maintain your fitness level going into Spring and Summer, here are four ways to help yourself!
Listen To Your Body
We all suffer from the ‘winter blues’ from time to time. Remember that exercising can help to boost the body’s natural ‘feel good’ endorphins. It may be, that changing the intensity or type of workout that you do during the summer months or adding some Yoga or Pilates to help you rebalance mind and body will help you.
Winchester Chiropractor, Max Atkinson adds that during the colder weather, it is even more important to practice a correct warm-up and cool-down routine to stretch and mobilise joints and muscles, helping to keep your body injury-free.
He adds that trying to keep to a healthy diet will help to avoid that groggy, foggy, sluggish feeling and will help you to feel energized and motivated for your workout.
Workout with a Friend or in a Group Class
If you need more motivation to get out of bed for a morning trip to the gym, a run, or to get off the couch in the evening for a class – make a date with a friend. Having someone depending on you to turn up makes you accountable and helps to keep your motivation and reach your goals.
If you do not have a like-minded friend to workout with, consider joining an exercise class or running group. Often this will involve spending some cash – which is another great motivator for not ‘bailing’ and having a lie-in!
Exercise classes and group sessions are also a good way to socialise, make new friends and catch up with old ones. This in itself can be motivating but setting group goals can also help you raise that bar and aim higher yourself.
Winter is a great time to try something new!
A great way to boost your motivation and enjoyment of your winter workouts is to try something new. If your winter willpower is lacking – you could just be bored with your current workout routine! One great way to keep motivated is to switch it up and try something new.
You could –
- Try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – these workouts alternate between very intense bursts of activity and either resting or a period of less intense activity.
- Take a Barre class (which makes use of a Ballet barre to perform poses based on a combination of ballet, Yoga and Pilates.
- Try a Spinning Class – this is a cardio workout to music on a stationary bike – great fun!
- Try a Yoga Class – great for mind and body.
Do not let bad weather stop you!
The explorer and adventurer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes famously said that – “There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” There is no doubt that equipping oneself with appropriate footwear and the right clothing can make exercising outdoors more enjoyable in rain and wind. However, in snowy, icy conditions, unless you fancy sledging or skating, an indoor workout could be the safer solution.
Workout DVDs are often as good as going to a class. Even if you do not want to invest money in these, there are some great workouts available on YouTube that are not only, completely free, but also do not need any special equipment.
To Sum Up
Max Atkinson says that the single best way to stay motivated with your winter workouts is to plan your goals. Do not treat it like a marathon and set a single goal, the finishing post! Instead, set yourself smaller, more realistic and achievable goals along the way and reward yourself for reaching them. Schedule your workout sessions, write them down or set a reminder on your phone – treat them as if they were a vital appointment! To make an appointment with your Winchester Chiropractor, please call 01962-861-188 today!
