As temperatures plummet and sidewalks get icy, it’s time to ask ourselves how to stay motivated for winter fitness once again. In mild weather, it’s much easier to feel driven to head out the door for a power walk. When it’s hot out, the idea of taking a plunge in a pool – indoor or outdoor – is glorious.
That said, when one step out the door just makes you want to run back inside and leap under a pile of blankets, the story changes. Trying to stay motivated for winter fitness can take a bit more strategy than it does at other times of the year. Still, it’s a worthwhile effort. You can’t, after all, stay completely inactive all winter long. It’s time to embrace the cold and arm yourself with some fantastic tips and tricks to keep up your workouts.
If you need to travel a significant distance to exercise, don’t expect to stay motivated for winter fitness. Cold weather places too many barriers in your way. Either you won’t want to head out and brave it or you’ll be able to use unsafe roads as an excuse not to drive there. Your gym on the other side of town is far more likely to be ignored during colder months than the one closest to your work or home or that is on the route between the two.
You wouldn’t wear the same clothes outside in summer as you would in winter if you were going shopping. Don’t expect to wear the same workout clothes, either. Regardless of whether you’re exercising indoors or outdoors, you need to have the right things to wear to stay motivated for winter fitness. Don’t dread changing into a freezing gym outfit and don’t skimp on your outerwear. Get good advice for outdoor training gear to stay warm without overheating.
If you just want to get your workout over with so you can indeed get back home and curl up under a blanket, choose a workout that gives you the best results in the least amount of time. High intensity interval training (HIIT) can give you a powerful workout in as little as fifteen or twenty minutes. If you struggle to keep motivated for winter fitness, HIIT can be easy to fit into your schedule. Love it or not, you’ll have it done quickly so you can get back to what you really want to be doing.