Winter got you down? Tired, un-motivated? Does everything feel like a chore? You’re not alone. It’s hard enough to get out of bed and adult let alone keep up with your fitness goals. Here are some tips that may help!

1) Do not rely on motivation, rely on firmly laid plans – Focus on what matters. 

Honey, even the best of us don’t always feel like eating well or hitting the gym. Having firmly laid plans with a friend, trainer, class, event or even a date at the gym with yourself plays out better than winging it during these cold months. If your fitness and wellness goals depend on you getting to the gym 3 days a week (min) then you have to be ruthless and make the time for your minimum. It’s ok to have a day or two of flexible activity, but the foundation is laid. We plan to go to work every day, plan to get some exercise.

 

2) Be realistic with your time. Do less and plan your week

Take the opposite of  “if it fits, I sits” approach to daily planning. Planning less results in a better completion rate – and that feels good! Give yourself a buffer in the winter (well anytime, but hey, life happens). If it does not fit in your daily planner, then you have planned too much. Say no (for now, not forever). The world goes on. The average working adult should schedule no more than 2 things extra per day to get done. I know you are laughing at this as you read it…but answer honestly…we may have super hero days where we are on fire, but they leave us depleted. If we have a slow and steady approach, how much better would that be?

 

3) Remind yourself daily about your ‘why’

Make a vision board, mind map or time table of your goals and look at it daily as a reminder of where you want to be. It needs to be clear and concrete and updated as circumstances change. Email trainer@uprisefit.com if you need a little help with this! Our studio owner, Meg holds workshops on the regular.

 

4) Simplify EVERYTHING – the devil is in the details

Eliminate redundancies like multiple trips to the grocery store, or reaction based activities like rushing to get a load of laundry done because you have run out of underwear. Become a robot to your routine, so much you can pass through your week without even thinking about it. You know the days you need to bring extra clothes and food to work, and the days you don’t. Keep life simple. We have enough to worry about! Oh and clean out those closets for heavens sake. Looking for things and fussing over finding the right outfit…who has time for that? Try laying out your workout clothes by days of the week (because you already know what day you are doing what based on your plan, right??)

 

5) Vitamin D. Get outside, supplement whatever it takes!

Get some fresh air or at least some extra vitamin D. “Canadians are at risk of vitamin D deficiency from October to April because winter sunlight in northern latitudes does not allow for adequate vitamin D production,” says Julie Foley, president & CEO of Osteoporosis Canada. “Also, because vitamin D requirements for an individual may vary considerably depending on many factors, it’s very important to check with your physician about how much vitamin D you should be taking.” Vitamin D will help you with your mood, energy and how well your body functions.

 

6) Get more ZZZs. 

Just sleep. Please… Going to bed earlier gets easier with the “DO LESS” and “Say No” model of behaviours. Turn that tablet off!

 

7) Try something new 

New, but in keeping with your over-arching goals. The excitement of learning a new skill can’t be beat! What about Martial Arts to replace that weekly swim (swimming is more fun in the summer outside!) – Register for our newest studio program, Beginner Martial Arts here!

 

Remember we all feel the drag of Winter…and nobody is immune. We can learn to be gentle with ourselves when it’s harder than normal to get out and be active. Don’t shoot your efforts in the foot by expecting too much from yourself. Plan for your minimum and feel good for having accomplished as such. You rock!