Stay On Track With These Winter Fitness Tips

When it’s still pitch black at 6-am and a jumper doesn’t quite stop the freezing wind from reaching every inch of your body, you know it’s the peak of winter.

When the winter weather strikes, the thought of Netflix in bed or an extra hour of sleep is so much more appealing than pushing yourself through a workout and that voice inside your head telling you to “just skip the gym today!” is louder than ever.

You know that it is important to stay healthy during the colder months and you want to be in great shape when things warm up too… but, how do you stay motivated towards your health and fitness goals when winter makes it SO HARD?

Here are some tips that you can implement this winter, to help keep your fitness journey on track when the cold weather has other plans.

Keep your routine

If you have had a healthy routine for the summer months, why break all the hard work during winter only to have to fight hard to form the habit again in spring? While it is tougher to get out of bed for an early session, (especially when it is pitch black outside) you will feel so much better for it. You know what they say… summer bodies are made in winter, so never hit the snooze button.

Prepare the night before

Whether you train early in the morning, during your lunch break, or in the evening, preparation is the key. Have all your workout gear set to go in your bag for the next day. This will stop the excuses of ‘forgetting’ your workout gear and skipping that all-important session! If time is not on your side in the morning, go the step further to prepare your work clothes, your breakfast and anything else that may slow you down in the morning too. Now – what’s holding you back?

Hire a Personal Trainer

If you are not already working with a  Personal Trainer, this may be the time to invest in one. Being accountable and showing up to sessions will ensure that you’re not passing on your session at the last minute. Most of the time, you would have already paid for the session in advance too; you’re not going to let your hard-earned cash go to waste, are you? Hiring a personal trainer during winter is one of the easiest ways to ensure you are motivated when the idea of staying in bed is looking oh-so-desirable.

Find a workout buddy

If the services of a Personal Trainer are not for you or you are trying to save your pennies, then recruiting a workout buddy is the next best thing. Training with friends is always a good way to not only have fun and keep fit but also to keep you accountable. Ensure your friends are as dedicated as you are, agree on a weekly workout schedule, support and motivate each other and you will be destined to succeed!

Don’t turn one bad day into a bad week

During your fitness journey, there will always be some bumps along the way. If you do choose to skip the gym on one particularly frosty morning, don’t beat yourself up about it. As long as you get up that next day and put in the work, the day you skipped won’t matter! If you’re in this for the long haul, the many workouts that you DID do will bring results in the long run. Pick yourself back up, and keep going!

Just do something!

If the thought of an hour-long gym session seems too hard, just tell yourself you’ll hit the gym for 15 minutes… once you go to the effort of getting changed, going to the gym and you start moving your body, the chances that you’ll want to leave after 15 minutes are pretty low!

If your alarm goes off in the morning and you just cannot be bothered running, get up and walk. Challenge yourself to run for 5 minutes, and then walk the rest. We know that after 5 minutes of running your body will be warmed up and roaring to go, and you’ll forget all about that ‘walk’. You would be surprised by what you can do with a little bit of trickery to the mind.

These tips will be your saving grace this winter, so be sure to implement them! To be a better version of yourself it takes determination, commitment and accountability; if it was easy, everyone would be doing it! So go on, pick up your sweat towel, lace-up your sneakers and plug in your earphones… we believe in you.

If you want to motivate others to be a better version of themselves too, why not consider becoming a personal trainer? If you are passionate about fitness and want to make it your career, the Master Trainer Program™ at the Australian Institute of Fitness is the course for you.

• 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.