3 Ways to Stay Motivated During Winter

October 30, 2016

Unless you’re living in a tropical paradise (in which case, I am very jealous of you), you’ll have felt the chill of winter. The way the sun lazily creeps up an hour later, the crisp morning air and the comfy sweaters all start to come out. I’ve never been great with winter–truth be told, I’m all about hot weather. As such, I do tend to get a little down and making myself workout and eat healthy can be challenging at times. I want to share with you 3 ways to stay motivated during winter!

Let me start this by saying that it’s TOTALLY NORMAL to feel unmotivated at times–that’s life and life isn’t perfect! However, the key here is realizing that it’s okay to feel like this and that the way you react to these feelings is what really counts. Sure, it can be easy to say “screw it” and give up, but it’s so much more rewarding to recognize that these feelings will pass. Which brings me to my first tip …

1. Realize that sometimes your body needs a break!

If you’re active and working out several times a week, at some point, your body will demand a break from you. You’ll know when this happens–you will start to feel as if exercising is the hardest thing in the world and will crave relaxation.

If this is what your body is telling you, listen to it! If you’ve been working out regularly for months, with little rest days, it’s beneficial to take a week off to rejuvenate. Take this time to experiment with new meals, hang out with friends and indulge in a bubble bath or whatever else takes your fancy.

2. Workout with a friend!

Having an accountability buddy is a powerful way to stay motivated during winter, with fitness, and any aspect of your life. Ask a friend if he or she would like to join you on your workouts, take new fitness classes with them, or do winter sports together.

If you’re not comfortable working out with others, why not have an accountability buddy you can text? I did this with a friend for about a month when we both desperately needed to be re-motivated! We would ‘check-in’ once a day, or every other day, and just ask each other how their day was going, what meals they were making, and what they were struggling with. It felt great to be able to share my worries with another person and to get the support I needed from someone who was going through the same things I was going through.

3. Try Something New

Easy, yet effective. There are so many ways to put this into practice, yet, it can have such a profound effect upon you. Try a fun, new workout class, check out that new smoothie place you’ve been wanting to try, or buy a new workout outfit. Change can put yourself back into a positive frame of mind and can do wonders in getting you out of a funk. Trying something new is a surefire way to stay motivated during winter.