Winter motivation 101

Winter motivation 101

We bring you our winter motivation 101 to keep you on track all year round. 

Winter is often the time when unhealthy habits start creeping back in – you lose your drive to hit the gym early, you start reaching for the comfort food and the willpower to resist your sweet tooth stars to waiver. WINTER. ugh.

But don’t give up on your healthy goals now, because rather than just feeling super healthy through summer it’s better to feel fabulous all year round. Follow these tips to give you the motivation to work hard in the gym all through the winter.

No bikini pressure, no goals

Winter is the time you need to set new goals in order to have something to aim for and keep building on the progress you have made so far. Create a long-term vision that you want to achieve, and work towards that all year round. Maybe you want to build more muscle mass, be able to do a pull-up, fit into an old pair of jeans or drop a few pounds before the festive season begins? Whatever it is, strength and body goals aren’t just for the summer.

Comfort in the cold

Ahhh a nice warm cup of hot chocolate with some biscuits sounds great, especially when it is freezing outside. However, make this a regular habit and relying on comfort food to get you through the dark nights of winter will only leave you feeling sluggish and slumped. Instead, cook comfort food which will warm you up, but also benefit your health. Try a warm broth packed with vegetables, a large batch of chilly using lean mince and pulses or homemade soups.

Too dark to exercise

If you’re an early morning gym goer, but the cold and dark mornings are putting you off, try following these simple tips. Besides setting multiple alarms, have your gym kit ready and waiting next to your bed. Even better… sleep in it! That way you are ready to roll out of bed, straight into you car and to the gym. Have your bags for work packed, breakfast prepared and session planned out. All of this will make your morning routine a no-brainer and even give you an extra five minutes for snoozing.

Festive season commences

Winter brings with it many festivities and social events, which you want to be able to enjoy without feeling guilty. If you are worried about over-indulging at dinners, parties and so on, there is a way around it. Stay stricter with your diet during the week. Take prepared meals to work, keep healthy snacks at your desk, chose wisely if eating out (meat and veg is a safe bet) and stay off the booze until your next event. By doing this, you’ll hopefully hit a decently balanced ‘party time versus healthy living’ ratio. 

Hibernation

As well as being extremely sociable during the festive season, some of us also go into hibernation.The warm sofa is way more appealing than your usual spin class and a cup of tea and a nap sounds a lot better than having to get dressed and hit the squat rack. The excuses could go on, but it is YOU that will complain when it gets to next year and you have to go back to square one with your exercise regime. Don’t let the winter make you lazy. Change it up. Join a new class, train with a friend, start a new plan, try new recipes. Think about what you want to feel and look like next time the Summer comes around, make a plan of how to get there and do it. 

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