Summer bodies are made in winter so it’s time to put in the hard yards. Except suddenly it is freezing cold outside and all you want to do is snuggle up and bed with hot chocolate. The days feel shorter as it gets darker earlier and many people start to get the winter blues. When outside is a little bit gloomy sometimes your winter workout motivation can drop quicker than the temperature.
The good news is that exercise can help you overcome your winter blues by keeping you warm and elevating your mood! Check out our tips for winter workout motivation to get back to the gym so you’ll be ready for summer when it arrives.
Workout with a friend
It’s easy to say no to a workout when you’re only accountable to yourself. If you work out with a friend or person from the gym, they can help keep you accountable too. It’s harder to bail on a workout when you know your friend is at the gym waiting for you! Working out with a friend will make you feel more motivated to train. You will also be able to support each other through the workouts when motivation may be lacking.
When choosing a workout partner make sure they have similar fitness goals to you. Keep the workouts fun by trying new exercises or check out a group class together.
Pre Workout Supplements
How many people can say they didn’t feel like training once their pre-workout kicked in? Adding a little caffeine may be just what you need for a little winter workout motivation. Caffeine can come in the form of coffee (preferably black) before your workout, caffeine pills, or pre-workout. There are many different pre-workouts available with different strengths of stimulants in them so if you don’t want to be bouncing off the walls all day there will still be one suitable for you.
If you’re looking for a pre-workout to give you a mild boost but not leave you overstimulated check out Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy or BSN Amino X Edge. These supplements also include BCAAs that will help support you during and after your workout.
Meal Prep
If your winter workout motivation is lacking then chances are your winter diet motivation might be too. Meal prepping can help you stay on track with your diet over winter. Search for some hearty winter recipes to keep you warm and full on a cold winter day. Fuelling your body with whole, healthy food will make you feel more positive and energized and may help improve your mood. By making meals ahead of time you will remove the chances of turning to less than healthy food on the tough days when you’re lacking in motivation.
Motivate Me
Sometimes it’s just tough to find the winter workout motivation from within. Luckily the internet is full of motivational videos, photos, and interviews. Check out your favourite athletes and see what they’ve been up to. Search Tumblr and Pinterest for some fitness motivation images. And when you do find something that motivates you to make sure you save or bookmark it for next time!
If watching videos doesn't cut it, try searching for new music. An upbeat happy playlist can invigorate your workout and make you excited about your workout. You could also try podcasts and audiobooks.
Set Small Goals
If your goal is to get ready for summer then it’s easy to lose motivation and interest when summer is still six months away. Small goals help keep you motivated and focused. It might just be your goal to go to the gym three times a week for the next month. Other goals could be to improve your strength numbers or the amount of time you can run on the treadmill at a time.
Once you reach those goals, keep setting new ones! The feeling of reaching your goals will help keep you motivated through winter and next thing you know, it’ll be summer again!
