Winter is that wonderful time of the year when the days are shorter, the food is warmer, and you really, really don’t want to get out of bed in the morning. That only makes your job twice as hard however once summer comes around and you’ve got all that extra winter warmth to lose.
Staying determined in Winter to maintain your exercise routine isn’t easy, so we’ve come up with five ways to stay motivated when the temperature drops.
Get Organised
There’s nothing worse than trying to locate your second sock in the dark when it’s cold, you’re trying not to wake the rest of the household up and you’re going to run late for the morning’s class because you stayed in the warmth of your bed an extra ten minutes. Lay your clothes out the night before with your shoes and towel, then once you wake up it’s easy to just change clothes and head out the door. Or, if you prefer to exercise later in the day (in which case there really aren’t any excuses because you’re already out of bed), then just have it all packed in a gym bag ready to throw in the car. It sounds so simple, but it’s easy to get complacent and think to yourself “I can’t be bothered finding my shirt, I’ll just go tomorrow”, then next thing you know it’s been three months and you’re back to trying to lose all those soups and casseroles.
Hire a Personal Trainer
Keep yourself liable by booking a time with one of our personal trainers. You have a set time you need to be at the gym that way and someone who is going to push you that bit extra to make the trip to the gym worth it. And if that’s not enough motivation, pay for your PT in advance – then you really won’t want to miss it! Contact us now to meet our trainers.
Buy/Create an Exercise Journal
There are many benefits to using an exercise journal. It creates accountability with your food and exercise intake, precision helping you to find your weaknesses (did I seriously eat all of that today?!), and consistency. The best reason to use an exercise journal is that it helps you stay motivated by tracking your progress and helping you set yourself goals. As you track your weight loss, your strength gains, and your increasing run times, you’ll see that you are making real, quantifiable progress. You’ll be far more motivated to keep up with your efforts so you can continue to see progress.
Change it Up
Always follow the same routine when you go to the gym? Now’s the time to change it up and keep things interesting. Try new machines, ask your trainer for a new exercise program, go at a different time of day, bring a friend along, go to classes instead of the gym and vice versa. The options are endless and will keep you motivated and interested in continuing to exercise this winter.
Join our Transformation Challenge
There are many benefits to joining a transformation challenge and that’s why it’s one of the best ways to keep you motivated. A challenge is like having a personal trainer, except all of your friends are there, and you are working with each other in teams to beat the other teams in the challenge. There’s the competitive side to it, where you will push yourself harder and further than you thought possible. There’s also the chance to make new life-long friends and best of all, create a summer body in winter!