You Are NOT a Groundhog!
If you’re an early morning or late evening exerciser, it may be getting harder to keep up that habit as the days grow shorter and colder. Instinctively, our bodies are built to hunker down with some good ol’ fat and conserve our energy for the Big Sleep ahead of us.
In fact, it may be downright psychologically difficult to self- motivate. I hear you – I get it, I do. But this is the time to power through those feelings, to push yourself a little harder and work through this transition. Your habit is there and you just need to make minor adaptations for the darkness and weather. Trust me, after a few weeks of this you won’t mind so much. You will not regret getting out there in the cold and dark but I promise, you WILL regret when you are not working out as often or at all. The exercise will actually help with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), keep your energy levels elevated, and combat any increase in calorie consumption that tends to occur during the colder months and holidays. Here are some tips to keep you inspired, and motivated:
- New Workout Gear – you need warmer clothes anyway and maybe new shoes too. Once you’re gussied up in new clothes, there’s nothing left but to get out there and show them off – while working out.
- New/Updated Playlist – there is nothing like some new tunes to get you motivated to move.
- Commit to an Event – register for a fitness event whether it’s a local 5K to a marathon in the spring or an adventure race between. Once you’re committed you HAVE to train.
- Find a Support Group– gather friends and friends of friends and start a running/walking/cycling/ swimming group. Join a fitness class together or hire a trainer to train your group. You can also meet up and workout together at someone’s home or a park. Knowing that other people will be expecting you and feeling the same as you, helps loads –people are generally better externally motivated than internally.
- Reward Yourself – whether it’s guilt-free holiday parties (burning off what you eat/drink), planning special dinners out once in while, new clothes for the holidays or a new bathing suit if you’re headed somewhere tropical. There are a number of phone apps with built in reward systems. Earn money with every workout with this great Fit Tip Jar – make a dollar for every workout you do and put that hard- earned money toward anything you like no matter how frivolous.
