6 Ways to Stay Motivated This Winter!
If you're trying to lose weight or just get healthier, you may lose interest in your program or find it a lot more difficult to stay motivated throughout the winter months. This doesn't mean you aren't serious about reaching your goals, motivation is hard to come by and the shorter days and dreary cold nights impairs most of us to some degree.
I've got six tricks to help you stay motivated to workout throughout these winter months.
1. Remember that action creates motivation
You won’t be motivated to workout everyday. None of us are! Remember that the hardest thing is just to START. Once you start moving that stagnant energy and get those endorphins going, you’ll feel very different. Just start moving your body with a warm up and some foam rolling & see how you feel.
2. Recreate early sunlight
Invest in a bedside lamp that simulates natural daylight. For example, the Phillips 'Wake-up Light', endorsed by the National Sleep Foundation, gradually increases the light and comes with a built-in clock and alarm. Starting your day with natural light will help activate your internal clock to get ready to take on the day.
3. Warm up indoors!
Do some jumping jacks, leg lifts or pushups in your living room before heading out. Not only will it get your heart rate going and your blood circulating, it will make it very difficult to slide back into bed. Peace-out excuses!
4. Remember the 4 exercise trick
This one I live by and like to share often with my clients. We know that we’re not going to be motivated every day to work out and that’s OK. Maybe you only have it in you to do a shortened workout- that’s ok! On the days you’re really struggling, tell yourself you’re only going to do four exercises and be done with it. Even if you do 4 exercises, it’s better than nothing.
5. Get honest with yourself and ask yourself have you been recovering and resting enough?
Have you been eating nutrient dense foods? Getting enough sleep? Make sure you’re resting and recovering properly because if you find yourself constantly struggling to stay motivated, you could be over training or not recovering as well as you should. Remember recovery and rest are a very important part of training and seeing results!
6. Don’t be afraid to switch up your program and try something different
Variety is key and doing stuff that brings you joy is vital to staying motivated. You should enjoy your workouts and look forward to them. You can also get yourself an accountability partner or hire a coach to spice things up. I like to think about things I used to do as a kid- i.e ride my bike, jump rope, dance, roller blade, etc.
Don’t be afraid to bring back old hobbies that used to bring you joy as a kid. Even if you’re on a mission to reach a goal, you can add a fun activity into the mix along with your standard progressive strength training program.