The Best Ways To Stay Fitness-Motivated During Winter

Easiest ways to stay motivated throughout the winter, according to our world-class trainers.

The moment the seasons swap from warm and sunny to cold and wet, a lot of people can find their motivation gets pushed to the limits. One day you’re out there running at sunrise, hitting the gym before work and doing bodyweight exercises in the garden on a cloudless 21°C afternoon, and the next morning you wake up to raindrops running down your window, your patio covered in puddles and near-freezing temperatures. It’s no wonder your motivation has fallen off a cliff edge. But there are some simple hacks to help you keep at it. and to prove it we’ve asked our team of world-class trainers for their top tips to staying motivated throughout the winter months.

From pulling on the right gear to getting into the right mindset, we asked our team of world-class trainers for their top tips to staying motivated throughout the winter months. And here’s the best bit: their tips will help you crush your workouts, maintain your fitness and kickstart the new year ready to be the best version of you possible. Let’s do this:

Focus on The Foundations

The summer months might be the easiest time to get stronger, fitter and healthier as you enjoy beach runs and scrumptious salads, but winter workouts give you a chance to build the foundations for the next year and focus on a new area of your fitness journey. It’s about being flexible with your aims, changing up your routines and finding the right balance between, “you can do this, it’s only cold if you’re under-dressed” and “today’s a complete Netflix kind of day!” In short, working out in the winter is about finding ways to keep grinding in a way that suits you; in a way that keeps your drive alive.

Give Yourself A Reward

People are a lot more enticed by the idea of something when there’s a reward involved, so try motivating yourself to workout with the promise of a reward. Treat yourself to some new exercise gear if you hit the gym five-times that week, give yourself the ultimate cheat day if you complete those circuit sessions or simply finish your weekend run by catching up with your bestie at your favourite brunch spot. Trust us: nothing will lure you out of the door on a cold morning quite like a small reward. And if that’s not enough, tell yourself you can call it quits after 5 minutes if the weather is really that bad. Trust us, you’ll almost-definitely stay out and finish your workout. It starts with getting out the door and getting wet, but it ends with an epic rush of endorphins and a nice hot shower.

Hearty Meals Can Be Healthy

There’s something about summer that makes it so much easier to stick to a healthy diet of protein-packed salads, seasonal vegetables and nutritious light bites. Come winter, though, and the temptation changes to hearty meals chock-full of calories. But it doesn’t have to be either or. Not at all. You can stay healthy and enjoy hearty foods, such as soups and stews, pastas and skillet dinners, all of which will help you meet your nutritional goals. Creamy pastas packed with whole grains, cosy chilis loaded with vegetables, chickpea & spinach stews with fewer than 575 calories and more than six grams of fiber per serving. It’s seriously easy to eat deliciously and nutritionally once you make that your aim.

Join A Well-Respected Gym

Whether you’re chasing a specific goal, looking to lose a certain amount of weight or simply trying to maintain your overall fitness, signing up to a gym is one of the most effective ways to keep your motivation levels piquing, especially if you have a personal trainer on hand to keep you on track. From keeping you accountable with structured workouts to committing you psychologically to a consistent schedule, helping you stay injury-free to making your workouts that much more hassle-free and convenient, there’s something incredibly motivating about going to a gym with a plan and a purpose.

Do A Pre-Workout Warm-Up

The cold doesn’t feel so cold when you’re already warm, so use that to your advantage before you begin your workout, whether that’s a mid-morning run, a HIIT session or even twenty-minutes of yoga in the living room. Get up, move around and get your blood pumping just enough that your body warms up. Jog on the spot as you make your morning shake, run up and down the stairs for a few minutes, bust out your favourite dance moves or rush through your chore-list double time -- anything to get your body warm without breaking too much of a sweat. Simply getting into the habit of doing a pre-workout warm-up will help boost your motivation enough to get going.

Never Forget Your Motivation

There’s always a reason people want to workout. Always. That feeling you get after a sweaty session. To de-stress at the end of a long day. For mental health reasons. To lose weight, burn fat, build strength or just become a happier, healthier, fitter version of yourself. There’s always something that makes you get up and exercise. Whatever your reasons for running are, remind yourself of them. Remember the reasons you started out on this journey in the first place. Do that and you’ll find no amount of cold, gloomy days can dampen your motivation.

Attend a Bootcamp or Fitness Retreat

When it comes to boosting your motivation or kick-starting your fitness journey, our fitness retreats are the ultimate way to go. That’s because everything we do is tailored to you. Everything. From providing you with a bespoke diet to putting you on a personalised fitness plan, removing temptations to serving up delicious and nutritious meals, putting you in the unrivalled hands of our world-class coaching team to surrounding you with like-minded people that motivate and inspire, our fitness retreat is designed to build healthy habits and make your goals a reality. Whether you're in the market to lose weight, build strength, change your lifestyle or simply binge on those post-workout endorphins, there are a dozen science-backed benefits to attending a fitness retreat, both mental and physical.

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