Cold mornings, stiff joints and late sunrise – its difficult to get out of bed to start the day, let alone keep on track with your exercise program.
Here are a couple of ways to stay motivated with your exercise routine during winter, when we feel like it.
- Schedule your workouts
Whether its a scheduled class at the gym, a pilates class or physio guided strength training, book in your sessions in advance. Booking appointments into our schedule helps us to stay accountable, even when we feel like it the least. If you have your own independent exercise program, it is still helpful to book it in. Write it in the diary, add it to the google calendar, add it to the to-do list to help you to stay on top of your weekly exercise program.
- Follow a Routine
Following on from the previous point, but following a daily routine is also helpful to utilise to make your exercise a regular part of your day. Are you a night owl? Cold, dark mornings might make morning workouts even more difficult than they were before. Maybe swap to something during your lunch break, or in the afternoon or evening, when it suits you better with your daily energy levels.
- Reward Yourself
Getting up and getting it done is hard. We deserve to reward ourselves. Maybe it’s a long afternoon binging your favourite Netflix show, cooking your favourite dinner, having a sleep in, or having your favourite sweet treat. Following your routine for the week is something to be proud of.
- Rest
Winter is the time to rest and recover. Did you know, with just two sessions per week you can improve and maintain your strength levels? If you need an extra rest day here and there, take it while it’s cold and dark outside. This might look like choosing a more gentle exercise type on a few days of the week – like yoga, pilates or a walk. I recently learnt that there are seven different recognised types of rest – physical, mental, emotional, sensory, creative, social, and spiritual. Do you find that you are still exhausted, despite having a good night’s sleep, or after doom scrolling on your phone all morning? You might be lacking in one form of rest. Mental rest can look like breathing exercises and meditation. Creative rest can be diving into your passions and hobbies, trying something new like drawing or craft whilst we spend more time indoors. Social rest can be spending more time alone, away from our phone and social media.
- Get outside when you can
Despite the cold and dark days, it is important to get outside when you can. Up to 50% of people are deficient in Vitamin D, which is formed by our skin when it is exposed to sunlight. Getting sunlight through the day, especially in the morning can help improve energy levels and regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Whether you stand outside whilst you have your morning coffee, walk to the train station in the morning or get out of your home or office during lunch time, rug up and try to get outside.
