Motivating yourself to exercise may be difficult even in the best circumstances, but when the weather turns cold, grey and rainy during winter you may need to push yourself harder to ensure you exercise.
Make Sure You Dress For The Occasion
Wearing base layers is a great way to help you avoid the chills while exercising outside but it ensures that you don’t get too warm. Baselayers are made using moisture-wicking material which works to transport moisture in the form of sweat away from the body towards the outer layer of your top, this is achieved through a process called capillary action. If sweat is allowed to stay close to your skin it can make it harder for your body to cool down after exercise and can make it uncomfortable for you, this is why baselayers that are made out of moisture-wicking materials are so popular for people who exercise outside.
If it is particularly cold you may want to consider wearing a men’s full tracksuit on the outside of your baselayer to ensure you keep warm enough whilst you are exercising in cold weather. If you find an outfit with zip-up pockets you can also bring a hat and gloves if you feel it necessary.
Have An Answer For Every Excuse
It can be all too easy to talk yourself out of exercise by saying something to yourself like “It’s cold outside”; but the reality is that as long as you are wearing the right clothing and make sure you warm up properly before heading out of the door you will be able to withstand the chills and become fitter and stronger for doing so. You may pair such an excuse with “I’ll go tomorrow instead”, but the reality is during the British winter period it is cold or dark most of the time. The only way to beat your reluctance to exercise in uncomfortable weather is by forcing yourself to do so. One of the reasons the human species has survived for so long is our ability to adapt to new environments and challenges, you have the potential to do this if you choose to do so!
Listen To Music Or Podcasts Whilst You Are Exercising
Whilst you are warming up inside your house before hitting the pavement you could get yourself in the mood for exercise by playing music that normally hypes you up, you can then take your headphones along with you whilst you are exercising for motivation along the way. By listening to music or podcasts whilst you are exercising you can distance yourself from the actual effort of exercising, meaning that you can probably push yourself harder without realising it; potentially allowing you to meet your fitness goals faster.
Motivate Yourself By Treating Yourself Along The Way
Every time you force yourself to exercise when you don’t feel like doing so you are building up an important interpersonal characteristic called self-resilience. You are becoming a more formidable person capable of even greater challenges in the future, but in the moment you should recognise your progress by treating yourself along the way. This could range from buying yourself your favourite food to have for tea tonight, all the way to convincing yourself to buy that men’s streetwear clothing item you’ve had your eyes on for so long; the point is to ensure that you recognise that you have made a positive decision to keep up with your exercise routine.
Eat Properly Before Your Workout
- Fruit: Eating a helping of fruit can be a fantastic snack to have shortly before your workout.
- Carbohydrates: Eating foods such as pasta, rice and bread-based items are all good ways to fuel your body for an upcoming workout session.
- Breakfast Cereal: Eating a bowl of cereal before your workout is another good way to give yourself fuel for your workout, cereals are usually filled with carbohydrates which can help you during your workout.
- Meats: Ideally you should be eating meats more than an hour before you start your workout or after your workout. Meats such as fish, beef, pork and chicken are all filled with protein which can help your muscles grow faster, allowing you to push yourself harder in the future and to look better for it.
Make A Pros And Con’s List Of You Sticking To Your Workout Routine
Writing down your motivations for working out on paper or through digital means can be a powerful motivator when you are trying to talk yourself out of exercise in the future. You can simply refresh your mind of the reasons why you are working out in the first place and the negatives of stopping your gym workout routine. Hopefully, this will improve the likelihood of you exercising more often.
Conclusion
Forcing yourself to exercise during winter may be difficult, but it is worth it!