Get organised now to keep your exercise mojo during Winter
Winter with it’s cold/wet/dark days is when our seasonal ‘depression’ kicks in with most people less motivated for life in general let alone the thought of exercise!
From my experience as a Personal Trainer (and regular exerciser), here are the questions that you need to ask yourself to ensure that your exercise routine is ‘Winter-proof’ –
Do you know why you exercise? Getting clear on this question provides our base level of motivation to overcome some of the barriers that we all encounter when trying to exercise each week (tired, busy, unmotivated, etc)
Are your exercise sessions locked in your diary? Hopefully no explanation needed but if it’s not in your diary, it’s not going to happen……
Have you made your exercise ‘turn key’? This means making all the decisions concerning exercise in advance (not at 6am when you are still half asleep). Know where you are exercising, what you are going to be doing and when you are going to be doing it. Have it all planned in advance so that when it comes to the time of your week when you exercise, you don’t need to think, just DO. This also includes having your exercise bag packed the night before – anything that you can do to decrease decision making (and create possible barriers) just prior to exercising.
Who can I exercise with? While some of us enjoy the solitude of exercising alone, the benefit of exercising with others is accountability. Most mornings I ride my bike with some mates for a couple of hours – often we don’t talk until we’re at the coffee shop post ride but just having another human to meet gets me to turn up. My bias is obvious but ‘accountability’ is one of the key reasons why PT is so effective……
What is my next ‘event’? Many of us are motivated by training for an event – a fun run, a community bike ride or perhaps an outdoor adventure in a foreign land! Having something to work towards as we head into Winter could provide that extra level of motivation that will help keep your training regular and focused.
In the end, it ultimately comes down to some good old fashioned ‘planning’ to ensure that your exercise plans aren’t thwarted by the Winter Blues. Come up with some answers to the questions above and you’ll be setting yourself up to succeed this Winter.
-Kristin Lewis