Beat the seasonal slump: 11 ways to boost workout motivation
Here’s some expert-backed advice on how to stay on track with your fitness goals as we approach winter.
Dragging yourself to the gym after work when it’s cold, wet and pitch black outside can make 5pm feel more like midnight.
As the days get shorter and temperatures drop, it’s easy for workout motivation to take a back seat during the colder months. But how can we beat this seasonal slump and stay active when all we really want to do is curl up in bed?
Here are 11 simple ways to boost your motivation and keep your fitness goals on track this autumn and winter…
1. Start doing workouts at home
“When we’ve got fewer daylight hours and the weather is cold and wet, it makes going out to do exercise much less appealing. However, working out at home helps removes some of that friction,” says Chris Browning, London-based personal trainer.
“If you are already in the place where you are doing the workout, all you’ve got to do is get changed and get going. All you need is a yoga mat and some basic equipment such as dumbbells and resistance bands.
“Bodyweight exercises such as squats, planks and core exercises are also a great starting point that require zero equipment.”
2. Focus on consistency rather than time
“At the moment, I’m having a lot of conversations with people around shortening their workouts and understanding that there’s no obligation for it to be a 60-minute workout in the first place. Nobody ever said that you need to be doing 60 minutes in order for it to be effective,” says Browning.
He highlights that keeping the workouts regular is more important.
“It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be is consistent,” says Browning. “Two or three workouts a week that are 30 minutes each is still extremely productive.”
3. Sign up for classes
“Signing up for exercise classes, whether that’s Zumba, boxercise or a spin class, is a great thing to do this time of year. They take place in a warmer environment, and you’re still going to get a great cardio workout,” says Mark Harris, level 4 personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach and ambassador for at-home gym provider Mirafit.
4. Pair up with a workout buddy
Exercising with a friend is good for motivation and consistency because it creates built-in accountability.
“If you commit to training at the gym or going to an exercise class with a friend, it gives you a bit more commitment because you won’t want to feel like you’re letting them down,” explains Harris.
“Telling a friend that you will meet them at a certain time means that you’ve made an appointment and are fixed to that.”
5. Set a time
“Even if you’re just training by yourself, book in a fixed time in your calendar for your workouts,” recommends Harris. “You could even put a reminder on your fridge so you don’t forget about it.
“If you don’t plan it and just try and wing the sessions, it’s just too easy to find something else to do.”
6. Set out your workout clothes the evening before
“Try to get into the habit of getting all your gear out the night before, so that when you get up in the morning it’s all ready,” advises Harris.
7. Dress for the weather
“If you want to keep running or cycling outside, make sure that you wear appropriate clothing,” recommends Harris. “Wear high-visibility clothing at night and if it’s cold, wear something that’s going to be warm when you start that you can easily pack away into a bum bag once you’ve warmed up.
“For example, a light jacket that you can whip off quickly. It’s really a case of making sure that you’re comfortable all the way through your session because you don’t want to come back from running feeling cold, wet and miserable.
“You want to come back and still be relatively happy, so that you’ve got the motivation to go next time.”
8. Sign up for an event
Harris often encourages his clients to sign up for a future event, such as a Tough Mudder, to give them a goal to work towards.
“I’ve encouraged some of my clients to put the event on their social media, so everybody knows that they’re doing it because that then makes it extremely hard for them to back out of it,” says Harris.
“It also helps give them something to work towards and keep training for during the colder months.”
9. Have a measurement of progress in place
“Make sure that you have got a measurement of progress in place,” advises Browning. “This applies all year round, but is even more crucial when people are wobbling a little bit in the winter.
“If you’ve got a system in place, where you can see that progress, and it’s objective, that really helps keep that positive cycle of motivation going.”
10. Keep your workouts varied and fun
“Hitting the gym one day and doing a Zumba class the next day can help keep it varied and fun,” says Harris. “This time of year is a really good opportunity to try new things because most people will be modifying the workouts that the did in the summer.”
11. Be clear on your why
“With anything that you’ve got to put an effort in to do, you need a why,” says Harris. “Your why doesn’t need to be an event, it could just be to stay fit and healthy in 20 years’ time to be able to lift and play with your grandkids.
“That why gives you something to come back to when you get those moments of can I really be bothered?”