7 Ways to Get Motivated for a Winter Workout

It’s getting cold out there, but a drop in the temperature doesn’t mean you can skip out on your workout! In fact, we tend to be less active in winter anyway so it’s essential to keep up with your exercise schedule and beat the winter blues. Here are some ways to get you out and about when it’s cold and dark outside:

1. Find a team – Joining a sports team can give you all the motivation you need to get up early for training and then stay up late for games. You’ve got the support of your team mates, the competition to get you fired up, and it’s all good fitness! You could try touch football, tennis, soccer, or maybe something a little different like ultimate frisbee, roller derby or even quidditch!

2. Embrace winter sports – Winter opens up whole new possibilities for exercise with snow sports. Head down to the mountains and learn how to snowboard or ski. If you haven’t tried it before then you’ll be surprised at how quickly you burn up energy – it’s a full body workout! If you can’t make it to the snow then you can still get into winter sports with ice skating or ice hockey.

3. Work towards an event – Choose an upcoming competition or event to train towards so you stay motivated. Perhaps a marathon like the City2Surf or an obstacle course like True Grit or The Warrior Challenge. Put that event on your calendar and then design all your workouts to be tailored towards it.

4. Get a workout buddy – There’s nothing like knowing you have a friend waiting for you to get you out of bed. Find a friend who has similar fitness goals to you and draw up a schedule where you meet at the gym, go for a run or do some other form of physical activity together. Make sure you and your friend hold each other accountable for attending your workout sessions. Then you grab a coffee afterwards as a reward.

5. Get a workout group – If you find you’re more motivated in a group then pick a group fitness class at the gym to frequent and soon you’ll get to know everyone, which can help motivate you to show up. Outdoor boot camps are similar as you have a sense of camaraderie that keeps you turning up each time.

6. Stay home – It’s important to realise that you can stay fit indoors with some basic exercise knowledge. You can do a lot of bodyweight exercises in your living room (push ups, squats, lunges, sit ups) and other great exercises use minimal equipment – think of all the things you can do with a skipping rope, box and medicine ball. If you’re unsure where to start then have a session with a Personal Trainer so they can tailor an exercise program to you. Or if you’ve got the hang of it but just need some variety, grab an exercise DVD or go searching through the many daily workouts on the internet.

7. Redefine your goals – As winter heralds a new season, it’s time to revisit your goals and set new ones. This could be running a certain distance within a time limit, hitting your goal weight or perhaps squatting a certain weight at the gym. It could help to print this goal out on a piece of paper and stick it up somewhere you’ll see it in the morning. Every time you feel like hitting the snooze button at 6am when it’s cold and dark outside, remind yourself of this goal and remember that lying in bed won’t get you any closer towards it!

• Bio

AIF

The Australian Institute of Fitness

The Australian Institute of Fitness (AIF) is the largest and longest established fitness training organisation in Australia, with dynamic training methods and expert course coaches nationwide - spanning fitness, massage and nutrition. The AIF qualifies more fitness professionals than any other provider in Australia, as well as offering a broad range of continuing education courses (CEC), upskilling resources and partnership programs for existing industry.