On days like these, it's really tempting to stay at home on the sofa with a cup of tea or hot chocolate, a blanket and Netflix. But you want to keep working on your fitness too, of course! That's why we're giving you a few tips on how to find motivation to go to the gym through the winter months.
1. Plan your training days
Set aside certain afternoons or evenings in your diary to exercise. You then have an appointment with yourself. You don't want to cancel that, do you?! Struggling to stick to your own agreements? Then why not find a training buddy. Your training buddy is an extra incentive to get off the sofa and go to the gym.
2. Dress for the weather
If you wear warm clothes and have a waterproof jacket with a good hood, it's a bit easier to get out and about. No reason to skip your training! And... We live in the Netherlands, don't we? If you stay inside whenever it's cold and rainy, you won't leave the house half the year. That wouldn't be any fun, would it?
3. Set a goal
It's always easier to stick to a training plan if you have a goal, rather than simply training without a specific goal. Think ahead to summer, to the summer body you want to have by then, so that you can be confident about going to the beach in your swimwear. Set yourself a specific goal and work towards it. It might be a cliché, but it's true: summer bodies are made in winter!
4. Train during the day
You really really really can't manage to leave the house when it's dark? You can't peel yourself off the sofa in the evenings? If this is you, then try to schedule times to train during the day. Providing you can fit this in with your work or college commitments...
5. Download some good music
Because training with good music is much more fun. What music makes you happy and motivates you?
6. Reward yourself at the end
Think of that wonderful feeling you get after a training session. That's what you're doing it for! When you get home after a training session, reward yourself! Treat yourself to that glass of hot chocolate and that evening on the sofa. After all, you have trained hard, your body now needs some rest ;-).
