How to Stay Motivated This Winter

So the clocks have now gone back, and we can no longer deny that fact that autumn is in full swing and....

As the days are getting shorter, darker and colder and the urge to stay wrapped up with your duvet and a hot chocolate is even more tempting. And finding the motivation to workout or maintain your exercise routine is more difficult compared to the summer months. Don't worry, you are not alone in thinking this!

Revisit/Refresh your goals

If your summer goal was to feel confident in your bikini for your holiday in Ibiza, find something new to focus on to keep your motivation up. This might be to look good in your new LBD for the Christmas party, or now you have become fitter and healthier it might be to start creating some new PB's in the gym, or your whatever your chosen activity might be. If you love strength training, maybe you want to be able to deadlift a certain weight by Christmas. If you have a running goal or event planned, the winter months are perfect time to build up stamina. Or maybe your goal is to just maintain where you are, which is equally as valid! If so, I recommend potentially varying up your exercise routine by trying something new, or ensure you are still adding that bit of extra challenge to your workout. This way your body will not plateau and it will keep it fresh for you!

Wear the right clothing

Exercising outdoors is great, so don't let the chilly weather stop you doing what you love. Therefore, make sure you invest in some good quality outdoor active wear. This can range from thermals, gloves, hats, socks, jackets and more. Even with the extra layers, if you are working out in a cold environment, it is still important to make sure you are still warming up and cooling down effectively.

And if you are working indoors, buying yourself some new active wear can help your motivation. Whether it is getting some new trainers or a pair of brightly coloured leggings, find something that makes you feel good!

Plan ahead

Give your workout the same priority as any other appointment, would you stop going to the doctors, dentist or a work meeting because it's cold outside? Like anytime of year, planning your workouts for the week and actually putting it into your diary or calendar will make you more likely to stick to it. You still have the same hours in a day as you did during the summer, so try not to let the fact that it maybe slightly darker when you arrive/leave the gym deter you from skipping your workout.

Find a buddy or book into a class

If you struggle to motivate yourself to workout, surround yourself with other people who can help motivate you. This could be just you and a friend, who you know will keep you going and make exercising that bit more enjoyable!

(You might even have as much fun as these two...)

Equally, signing yourself up to a class and committing time and money to a workout will make you more likely to go. Remember investing in your health is not a bad thing! And let's face it, if you hand over £10-20 to go to a class, you want to go and get your moneys worth! Also, having an instructor tell you what to do takes less pressure off you to 'plan' your workout and more chance focus on just doing it and enjoying the class.

Or workout at home

If you really don't fancy heading out of the comfort of your own home, but still want to do some exercise, you can still have an effective workout in your living room. Clear a bit of space and work with either body-weight exercises, or find objects around your house with a bit of weight for some extra resistance. And there are loaaads of different workout videos on YouTube from yoga to HIIT to calisthenics! It may be a 5 minute tutorial to get you started, or a full 1 hour video going through each exercise more in depth. Either way, find something that you enjoy that will still keep you moving through these winter months.

Rest and have fun

Don't be too hard on yourself if you are finding it difficult to fit exercise in. Make sure you still allow time to rest, relax and enjoy the festive season. People's working schedules often have a habit of getting busier in the lead upto Christmas, so make sure you are getting as much sleep as you can. And while it's great to keep up your exercise routine as much as you can, having the odd day where you feel sluggish or simply really don't want to workout and want to watch Home Alone on repeat is ok!

Eilidh Brown

Simply Moving Personal Training