By Sarina Jain
It’s winter season and I know it can be discouraging to keep up with your workout routine. It’s tempting to just curl up with a cup of hot chai and watch movies. And it’s especially hard after giving birth to my second daughter. I’m tired all the time and when she sleeps, mama wants to sleep, too.
The cold doesn’t help, either. But I am motivating myself to workout again. As a fitness instructor, my job is to motivate others to workout. But first, I have to motivate myself!
Today, I’ll share my tips on how I stay motivated during winter and I sincerely hope that it motivates you, too. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to move!
I’ve heard all of the excuses to not workout (and I’ve used these myself, too).
- It’s too cold to workout
- I’d rather stay in the warm house
- It’s more fun to eat junk food in cold weather
- Too lazy
- Don’t have time
These excuses lead to weight gain during the winter months and nobody wants that!
After I delivered my first baby in November 2016, I knew it was time for me to get back into shape. However, I was so discouraged by how my body changed and I came up with all sorts of excuses why I couldn’t workout.
It was also winter season and I found myself super lazy. As a fitness instructor, the feeling of overwhelm and tiresome would normally motivate me to workout. But I wasn’t in the mood this season. I mean, I was a new mom and it was something needed to adjust into my workout routine. So I had to be kind to myself.
One day, I realized that I was wasting my precious time thinking about working out. And I hated wasting time. So I got out of the house and started moving. My body and mind thanked me!
Here Are 5 Ways To Move This Winter Season
Get It Done In The Morning 
Being a full-time mom and entrepreneur, sometimes I find it difficult to squeeze in a workout. This is why I love getting in a workout first thing in the morning. The number one excuse that people have for not working out is time, and in the course of a busy day, getting in a workout seems impossible. So get it done in the morning before you start your day. This will help in the winter and warm up your body. Working out in the morning also makes exercise a priority and will help you develop good habits. You’ll also burn more calories!
You Don’t Need To Go To The Gym
Half the battle is getting to the gym for your workout. During the winter months, it’s much more difficult to get dressed, get out and commit to the gym. If it feels like too much to drag yourself to the gym, you’re likely not going to go. Save yourself the hassle and workout at home. There are plenty of free workouts online, or you can stream or pop in one of my DVDs! It’ll give you a great workout!
Make Your Workouts Short
When I don’t feel like it or I’m too busy, I’ll make my workouts shorter. This helps me get it done. Sometimes 15 minutes sounds a lot better than an hour. I’ll power through a 20-minute workout then go back to having chai with my blanket!
If an hour-long workout sounds like too much, make it a short one. Who says in order to get a good workout, you need to workout for an hour? You can get in a
great workout in 30 minutes. If you can only commit to 15 minutes,then do that! Maybe today is a light walking and abs day. Maybe you can only do 30 minutes of cardio. Maybe today you’ll do some yoga and stretching. It doesn’t matter if your workout is 15 minutes or an hour. What matters is that you’re moving and committing to a routine.
The Buddy System
I personally find that having a friend or my husband working out with me is a great motivator.
It helps when someone is holding you accountable. Find a friend who will work out with you. This is one of the best ways to stay motivated to workout during winter. You can go over to each other’s house to workout or sign up for classes together. It’s more fun when someone is doing it with you!
Put It In Your Calendar
Schedule your workout and make it a priority. When you put your workout in your calendar it promotes consistency. You will see it every day and it will help you be more efficient with your workouts. I personally love seeing my workouts on my calendar and it feels so good when I get it done for the day. Since “finding time” is a major excuse for not working out, having it in your calendar (even for 15 minutes) creates that time.
Personally, I love working out in the winter now! I love the fresh winter air with sweat. And your tolerance to cold weather will become stronger and potentially burn more calories during the colder weather. Find whatever works for you. Whether you enjoy going to the gym, working out at home or something in-between, just get moving! And remember to be kind to yourself. No one is perfect!
How Do You Stay Fit During Winter? Let me know in the comments!
©masalamommas and masalamommas.com, 2016-2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to masalamommas.com and Masalamommas online magazine with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Share this:
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
There are no comments
Add yours