Winter Exercise Motivation Tips
When the days become shorter, everything can feel more like hard work, including keeping fit and exercising. We take a look at several winter exercise motivation tips to keep you moving all year round. If you find yourself struggling with motivation in the winter, these tips can help get you back on track.
Focus on your warm-up
Warming up before any workout is important, but it becomes even more important in the winter months. When the weather is colder, it will take more effort to warm your muscles up and get ready for exercise. Failing to warm up properly can result in injuries that will require rest and recovery time. In addition, warming up properly can help you to build up the motivation to begin your full workout. Develop or search for a warm-up that you find fun, this will make it much easier to get started, and once you’re warmed up, you might as well carry on and do the whole workout.
Create a routine
If you don’t have a plan or routine in place, it can be easy to skip the gym or the regular runs that you do in the summer to keep fit. You might even go several weeks or months before you realise that you haven’t exercised. Set reminders on your phone or add it to your calendar; these small reminders will help you get going and stick to your schedule. By creating a routine, you’ll make time for exercise and are much more likely to stick to your workouts.
Join a class or group
Joining a class or group that regularly meets up to exercise each week or a couple of times a week can help your motivation. You won’t just be letting yourself down but others down, too, if you don’t go to the scheduled group workouts. By participating with other people, you can also make friends and turn your exercise into a social activity. When you enjoy participating in a sport or activity with your friends, you’re more likely to be motivated to attend each week, even during the winter months.
Stay hydrated throughout the day
In the winter months, it can be easy to forget to drink water; instead, you might reach for hot caffeinated beverages. However, drinking too much caffeine can dehydrate your body resulting in fatigue and tiredness. Keeping a 750ml water bottle on your desk or with you when you’re at home will encourage you to drink more water. Staying hydrated is a simple step you can take to improve your motivation and performance when exercising. If you perform well, you’re more likely to repeat the activity.
Eat well
Comfort food is great in the winter. However, you might need more nutrients to be motivated to exercise. A well-balanced diet will help keep your body in shape and provide the right nutrition to give you the energy and motivation to continue exercising. If losing weight or maintaining your weight is an important part of your fitness goals, ensure you keep an eye on what you’re eating. If your activity level reduces, you won’t need as many calories to sustain your current body weight. Therefore, you may need to alter your diet and how much you eat in the winter to account for less physical activity.
Vitamin D
In the winter, the sun goes down much sooner, meaning people spend less time in the light and outside. This can impact their levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for many different reasons; it boosts your mood, boosts your immune system and can help with weight loss. Many people in the UK don’t get enough vitamin D from the sun or their diet. If you’re trying to exercise with a vitamin D deficiency, you might find you struggle or have a lack of motivation. Check your vitamin D levels and take a supplement if needed. Another way to improve your vitamin D levels is to spend time outside when it's light. Going for a walk at lunchtime is a great way to add exercise to your daily routine, and it can help improve your motivation by increasing your vitamin D levels.
These are just a few tips that can help you stay motivated to keep exercising throughout the winter months. You'll feel much better if you stick to your regular exercise routine throughout the year.