The 5 Ways to Amp Your Fitness This Winter
Winter is a beautiful time of year. The freshly fallen snow, hot cocoa and all the activities to enjoy with your family. When it’s cold outside, there is nothing more tempting than grabbing a warm blanket and steaming cup of hot chai and curling up in front of the TV for your favorite show. However, as the cold weather continues dropping the temperature and the cold sinks into your bones, keeping up—or even maintaining—your workout routine can be difficult.
A lot of wonderful activities can be enjoyed outside during the winter to help you stay fit. If you’re a fan of the cold (or can tolerate it), some fun activities to try are cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, ice hockey and snowboarding/skiing. Before you venture out into the cold to enjoy getting some exercise, take some precautions to ensure you stay safe and warm in the cold temperatures.
No matter if you lean more toward indoor or outdoor fitness routines, here are five ideas to help you stay motivated this winter and reach your fitness goals.
1. Create goal boards.
Use this visual to motivate yourself to keep striving to reach your fitness goals. Add pictures, write messages to yourself (“Am I drinking enough water?”—that one gets overlooked, especially in the winter.) or add motivational quotes to the board. The key is having something there to constantly remind you what your health goals are. The more they’re “in your face” the more you will be reminded what your goals are and you’ll be more inclined to stick to them.
2. Try a new workout.
If sticking to your exercise routine is difficult in the winter, why not mix it up a bit a try that new class you’ve been curious about? Perhaps you’ve been considering trying a yoga, Zumba or kickboxing class—why not do it now? Use the cold months to spur you on to try something you haven’t done before. Maybe you’ll find something you love and will want to keep doing. By signing up for classes, you’re committing yourself to sticking to a schedule, which can be helpful for staying motivated for continuing to work out.
3. Turn your home into your workout zone.
Sometimes leaving your home, especially in the cold weather, can be unappealing. If leaving the comfort (and warmth) of your home to workout is not your thing, why not pull up a workout on YouTube to try? What is fun about YouTube is there are various exercise routines to try. FitBodyHQ has some workouts worth checking out or here are some more channels to explore. If YouTube isn’t your thing, there are also some great workouts on Pinterest you can try to stay fit. Remember, always speak with your doctor before trying a new workout.
4. Set spring fitness goals.
Another great way to motivate yourself in the winter is setting spring goals. Are you dreaming of wearing that bikini? Why not book that beach vacation now and start working toward having that bikini body you always wanted? If you have something you’re striving for, you are definitely more likely to reach your goals. Another idea is signing up for a charity 5K. Choose a cause that speaks to you because you will feel more inspired and have a sense of accountability to stick with your goal. Plus, if you’re not a runner, you can just walk the 5K.
5. Update your playlist.
Sometimes the best way to motivate yourself is switching up your exercise playlist. Studies done at Brunel University showed that listening to music while exercising can increase your endurance by 15 percent. Listening to music while working out can help you get into the zone, block out distractions and actually can make you want to move. If you don’t know what songs to put on your phone (or iPod) or are looking for something new, here are 100 motivating workout songs to get you started.
While you keep working toward your health and fitness goals this winter, remember to keep moving. If something isn’t working or you find you’re using excuses to get out of working out, try something new; call up a friend to workout with; or reward yourself for sticking to your goals. We all have things that will motivate us. The thing is discovering what that is and using it to stay inspired.
