How to Stay Motivated With Your Fitness During The Colder Months
Who doesn’t like to be outside? I’m someone who thrives off of sunshine and warm weather. When it comes to working out and being active, my preference of course is to do it in warmer weather when I can really get a good sweat on. But now that we are getting closer to winter and the weather is cooling off, I always use to find my motivation to workout dropping low just like the temperatures. Here are my tips on how I’ve stayed motivated during the cooler months
1) Find an activity you enjoy
If you don’t like working out and you find it more of a hassle, then this tip is for you. Without even speaking to you I can definitely tell you that you probably haven’t found the right workout for you. There are so many different ways to be active during spring/summer, however depending on your tolerance of cooler weather, your options become more limited once those temperatures drop. If you dread going to the gym, don’t force it. If you don’t like lifting weights, don’t force it. If you hate cardio, don’t force it. You are never going to be successful in your fitness journey if you are forcing yourself to stay active doing an activity you don’t enjoy. It might take some trial and error, but try different options that help turn your attitude towards working out into a reward rather than a punishment. I truly believe there is something out there for everyone – and what works for me may not work for you. THAT’S OKAY. Search around and try as many different things as you can until eventually you find something you enjoy.
2) Plan Ahead
Coming from someone who is completely type A, I definitely encourage you to plan your workouts ahead of time. This doesn’t mean you have to have your workouts planned for the entire month, but try to tackle a few days at a time. Once you find a system you enjoy, write out a plan that is easy to follow. Don’t overwhelm yourself and have a plan to complete 30 minutes of weightlighting, 15 minutes of cardio, and 15 minutes on the stair master. Make it simple: Monday: cardo. Tuesday: Upper body. Wednesday: Cardo. Thursday: Lower Body. Friday: Yoga. If you find yourself rushed for time on a daily basis, having a plan in place will make a world of difference. You won’t be scrambling around trying to figure out what part of your body you want to work that day, and you won’t have to make a decision in a few minutes because you only have 45 minutes to get your workout in – you will find yourself feeling irritable and frustrated which may make your effort during that workout completely awful.
3) Find a buddy
It is so much easier to stay motivated to your health and fitness when you have someone doing it with you. You may have people in your life who don’t enjoy working out, but there is always someone you can find to help hold yourself accountable. You don’t have to workout with them physically every day, but a text message motivating one another to get your workout in and a daily check-in message once you complete your workout will really make you feel accomplished for the day.
4) Invest in yourself
I think every female reading this will agree that when you feel good about yourself, your attitude is vastly different than when you aren’t feeling so confident. Nothing makes me feel more confident when I’m working out than cute workout clothing. I probably own an embarrassing amount of leggings, however they all make me feel SO GOOD. If I can look in the mirror and feel good myself, I am way more motivated to workout. You don’t like what you see when you look in the mirror? I get it. I’ve been there. But I can honestly say being comfortable in your clothing will make the world of difference. You may not be able to fit into your ideal legging size when you’re first starting out, but if you can find a pair of cute workout clothing that really makes you feel comfortable about yourself, you will be so much more motivated to crush your goals.
5) Make it simple
We’ve all seen them. The skinny, fit and healthy fitness influencers on Instagram. Nowadays, everywhere you look on social media you will find a new person with a fitness account on Instagram – and that’s AWESOME. I love to see people who are putting their health and fitness first, as well as sharing free workouts. However, there are some on the internet today who in my opinion, take it a little too far. They are doing moves that look so cool or they involve so much flexibility and can be very intimidating. Keep it simple. There is nothing wrong with running some miles on the treadmill, and there is nothing wrong with doing regular bicep curls and shoulder presses. There are so many different moves to achieve strength in your body, but if you are someone who has trouble staying motivated to workout – KEEP IT SIMPLE. The ‘old school’ basic moves and repetitions can still give you the results you want. If you’re more advanced and want to try those fancy moves, go for it. But understand there is no need for fancy.
6) Have goals
You need to have a starting point, and you need to have an ending point. If you want to lose a few pounds, make a goal for yourself to lose some pounds in a specific time frame. If you’re working towards nothing, you definitely aren’t going to see the purpose in staying on tract with your fitness.
7) Meal Prepping
Now before you roll your eyes because you think I’m going to tell you to prep pounds of chicken and containers of broccoli, know that I definitely don’t expect you to do that, because I don’t even do do that myself. When I say meal prepping, I mean plan ahead for your entire week and have healthier options on hand that way you don’t binge on the bad food. When I have no healthy options prepped in my fridge, I instantly reach for the chips and pretzels because it’s easier to grab than grabbing the strawberries in the fridge, washing them and then cutting them up. You might call me lazy, and sometimes I am – but when you have “easy” options on hand, even if they aren’t the healthiest options, you are probably going to reach for easy over healthy.
The cooler months have always been a struggle for me when it comes to staying motivated to work out and eat healthy. I’ve definitely found my preference for workouts, and working out is definitely something I prioritize on a daily basis – eating healthy? Not so much. My goal for the rest of 2020 is to really fuel my body with healthier options vs. binging all the junk food. Let’s be real, we all reach for the junk food a little bit more often in the winter because we don’t have to be seen in bathing suits or in minimal clothing. We wear comfortable/warm clothing during the winter months, so that typically means we aren’t as cautious with our bodies and what we’re putting into them.
My biggest tip to stay motivated in the cooler months is to take it slow. Don’t feel like you need to follow all these tips at once. Choose a few to implement into your daily routine and continue adding some along the way. Although it may seem like it, winter doesn’t last forever, and eventually spring and summer will be right around the corner again. I know I’m not the only one who hates “starting over” when spring comes around. This year I plan to be a little more proactive about my health during these upcoming months, and I hope you choose to do the same.
