28 Cold weather exercise hacks - Stay motivated, beat winter blues.
If you’re struggling to stay motivated to exercise when your bed is warm and it’s cold outside or all you want is to snuggle up on the couch eating comfort food and watching that new series on Netflix, you’re not alone, even motivated exercisers find it difficult to get out of bed.
Exercise can be hard, it takes commitment and consistency to make it a habit, which takes time.
That’s probably one of the many reasons why people don’t do it.
Keeping up with your exercise routine during winter has many benefits:
We know that movement is good for us, but did you know that exercising in winter has physical, mental and social benefits too?
Physical benefits
Boosted immune system:
A study published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science suggests that regular, moderate exercise can enhance immune function and potentially reduce the risk of respiratory infections.
Weight management:
Research indicates that physical activity is critical in managing weight and preventing obesity, even during winter periods (Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases).
Improved cardiovascular health:
Cold exposure has been shown to stimulate the cardiovascular system. A study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that cold weather exercise increases heart rate and energy expenditure, which can enhance cardiovascular fitness.
Enhanced endurance:
A report from the American College of Sports Medicine highlights that exercising in cooler temperatures can improve endurance because the body can regulate heat more effectively.
Better sleep:
Exercise has been well-documented to improve sleep quality. A study in the Sleep Medicine Reviews journal notes that regular physical activity can lead to better sleep patterns and reduced sleep disturbances.
Mental benefits
Improved mood:
Exercise is known to release endorphins, which are natural mood lifters. The American Psychological Association and the British Journal of Sports Medicine has published numerous studies showing that physical activity can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, especially during the winter months.
Reduced the negative effect of stress:
Exercise can help your body handle stress better by mimicking the stress response and teaching your body to manage it. This can benefit your cardiovascular, digestive, and immune systems. - Mayo Clinic
Increased energy:
Studies show that exercising moderately for at least six weeks can reduce fatigue and increase energy and vitality in both healthy people and those with chronic illnesses. Future research should measure these mood changes to better understand and improve the benefits of exercise.
4. Acts as meditation:
Engaging in physical activities like walking, running, or swimming can help you forget daily worries and focus on your movements. This meditative effect can make you feel calmer and more focused. - Mayo Clinic
Social benefits
Social Interaction:
Engaging in group exercises or team sports can provide essential social support, which is crucial for mental health.
Accountability:
Joining classes or having a workout partner can help maintain motivation and adherence to exercise routines. Research in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity supports the idea that social support increases exercise adherence.
Pushed for time?
Did you know that a study in 2022 showed that 15-20 minutes of vigorous weekly exercise (less than 3-minutes a day was linked to lower risks of heart disease, cancer and early death.
Below are 28 hacks to build a lasting relationship with exercise and help you stay motivated by removing the barriers you may have on those colder days by making small changes to the way you think about exercise and tweaking other ideas to get you to move more.
Hack # 1 -
Jot down the barriers that you may have to exercising when it’s cold outside.
It is only when we know what those barriers are, then and only then can we change them.
Hack # 2 - Sleep tight -
A good workout starts the night before.
Ensure that you’re getting sufficient good quality sleep. Nothing is more demotivating than being exhausted from a bad night's sleep and then having to workout.
You will definitely feel the effects of a bad night's sleep on your training, you will not have the strength, stamina or energy you would normally have on a good night’s rest.
Instead of doing a hard workout, listen to your body.
To stay consistent with your exercise routine why not stretch instead? Your body will love you for it.
Hack # 3 - Set an alarm away from the side of the bed.
So that you don’t end up like me, holding the alarm in my hand and just keeping the sleep button, place your alarm away from your bed so that you have to get out of bed to put it off or set multiple alarms if need be.
If music inspires you, choose a song that gets you excited. Another way is to invest in a Lumie bodyclock alarm that mimics natural daylight and helps you wake up naturally, regardless of how dark it is outside.
Hack # 4 - Get organised.
Prep your workout clothes the night before by putting them next to your bed so that it’s the first thing you see in the morning when you wake up.
If changing into your workout clothes from your warm bed is your greatest barrier for not working out, sleep in your workout clothes.
Have your layers hanging near a heater easily ready to slip into.
Love to workout to music or enjoy listening to podcasts?
If this is your thing, make sure that your phone (if using) is fully charged, ready to go by morning. Have your playlist or podcast ready to go instead of wasting precious time looking for the right playlist or podcast.
Hack # 5 - Dress the part
Dress in layers so that you can add a layer when needed or shed a layer as you warm up.
Start off with a base layer like polypropylene, that draws sweat away from your body.
Next, add an insulation layer like wool or fleece, not cotton, as it absorbs sweat and makes you feel colder. Your final layer can be a breathable, waterproof outer layer.
Experiment with what type of layers which work for you and adjust them accordingly.
If you're going out for a walk or run, wear reflective clothing if it still dark outside.
If you're going to a gym or studio, ensure that you add a layer after training to maintain your body heat and prevent that winter illness.
If you are in a very cold area, and are exercising outdoors, protect your head, hands and feet.
When it’s cold, your blood flow concentrates on keeping your body warm, leaving your extremities, i.e. your head, hands and feet.
Wear a woolen hat, gloves (wear a thinner pair of wicking material under heavier wool gloves) and thick socks. Don’t forget sunglasses to protect your eyes from the glare.
Apply sunscreen, yes, even in winter. Ensure that it’s at least a 30+SPF that provides you with both UVA and UVB protection.
Protect your lips too from the wind with petroleum free lip balm.
Hack # 6 - Have a timer on your heater for an hour before you wake up.
Hang your outer clothing layers near the heater.
Have a timer on your heater to warm up your room before you wake up.
That way your bedroom will be warm and your clothing ready to put on, reducing one more barrier to getting you out that door.
Hack # 7 - Do your warmup exercise indoors before heading outdoors.
If you walk or cycle from home, do some warmup exercises indoors that will get your blood pumping and your heart raised.
You should warmup until you lightly start
sweating.
A good warmup can take between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on the intensity of your workout and your fitness level.
If you’re new to exercise or if you’re working at a high intensity, you may need to warmup for longer.
9 Benefits of doing warming up exercises before your workout
You’ll start your workout with the right headspace as it prepares you mentally for your workout.
As you do your warmup exercises, you raise your body and muscles temperature, which increases blood flow to the active muscles, increasing your rate of energy production.
You’ll enjoy your workout more.
Warmup exercises improves your balance and coordination.
You’ll lower your risk of injury, by increasing the range of motion and flexibility.
The contraction and reflex times improve with higher muscle temperatures.
Your workout will be more time-efficient, safer and more effective.
Doing warmup exercises can reduce post workout soreness and stiffness.
It can reduce the risk of cramping.
If you’re still not convinced, here are science-backed reasons why you should warm up before exercise:
Hack # 8 - Focus on just getting to your workout.
Often biggest barrier one may have is just getting to the class.
Train the mind to only think about just getting to the gym, studio or class.
Don’t focus on how difficult the class could be or how tired you are or what to make for dinner.
First and only thought should be just getting to the destination.
Showing up is half the battle. Don’t worry about the actual workout, think only about just getting there.
Hack # 9 - Start small.
We all have to start somewhere. With exercise it's no different.
Just getting your heart rate up for a two-minute walk makes a difference in your health. - Abby King, a researcher at the Stanford Prevention Research Center.
I have seen so many people who have just started out exercising, starting out too much, too soon only to run out of steam, become injured or find exercise just too difficult.
You have to start small and gradually increase the time and intensity of your exercise over a couple of weeks. This gives your body time to adapt to exercise and it also gives your tendons and ligaments to become stronger, so as to avoid injury.
Hack # 10 - Look for opportunities to move more during the day.
“Just getting your heart rate up for a two-minute walk makes a difference in your health.” — Abby King, a researcher at the Stanford Prevention Research Center.
Finding time or formal exercise can be difficult.
Physical activity is any body movement that works your muscles and requires more energy than resting. Walking, running, dancing, swimming, yoga, and gardening are a few examples of physical activity.
Even if you start off doing stretches while still in bed is a start. There is no quick fix to exercise. It takes time, patience and commitment. We all have to start small.
Movement can be anything you want it to be. If you are looking for sneaky ways to move more during the day, click here.
Hack # 11 - Do exercise that you enjoy doing.
The best type of exercise is the one that you’ll actually do. Not all movement has to be constructive exercise.
Life is too short to do exercises that you hate doing. If you don’t enjoy running, walk. If you don’t like walking, swim. But you MUST enjoy what you do.
Try various types of exercise until you find what lights you up and one that you will do. Listen to your body and do what it needs.
If you get bored with exercise, do a variety of exercises. There are so many choices.
If you absolutely cannot exercise that day, there are many other things that you CAN do like being physically active at home doing activities like vacuuming and mopping your house or sweeping outdoors.
Going shopping? Why not use that time to walk about the mall?
Walk the travelator and the stairs rather than taking the lift. Here are more ways to sneak physical activities in your daily life.
Love dancing? Put your favourite tunes on and dance or while you’re cleaning the house or vacuuming.
Doing some form of movement that you love every day will keep you motivated and inspired. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Do what best suits YOU.
Try various exercise forms until you find what lights you up and one that you will do.
If you get bored with exercise, do a variety of exercises. There are so many choices. Listen to your body and do what it needs.
To improve your heart and lung health, do exercises that increase your heart rate like walking briskly, jogging, cycling, rowing, swimming, and dancing.
Add strength training or resistance training to improve your muscle strength, balance, bone health, and mobility. It reduces signs of aging at the cellular level and can help prevent falls.
You do not need equipment to do strength training. Use what you have at home like water bottles or tinned food as hand weight.
The exercises that you can do are wall pushups, chair dips, squats, and lunges using your body weight.
Using water bottles or tinned food do chest presses, chest flies, shoulder presses, shoulder side and front raises, triceps kickbacks, and biceps curls, to name a few.
I like adding strength training in my Pilates classes to ensure that my clients are doing enough strength training during the week.
To find out what the Australian Guidelines for exercise for adults are, click here.
Regardless of what exercise you do or when you do it, enjoy doing it.
What lights you up?
Hack # 12 - Ditch the all-or-nothing mindset.
Doing something is better than doing
nothing. If
you don't or won't exercise because you haven't got an hour free today, this is for you.
If you think you have to exercise for an hour for it to be beneficial, this is for you
too.
Give
yourself some grace and take the pressure off yourself!
Being consistent with exercising is more beneficial to your mind and body than exercising once or twice a week for an hour. Read about the '7 Benefits of regular physical activity' here.
Doing 10 minutes of exercise a day is doable, it takes the pressure off of finding time to do that 1-hour workout.
You can always add to your 10-minute routine when you’re ready to do so.
To find out what the benefits of exercising 10-minutes are, click here.
Hack # 13 - Have a plan.
Having a plan helps you stick to a routine.
Plan your workouts the weekend before.
Diarize appointments, workload and family commitments that you may have for that week.
Knowing in advance how much time you have to exercise. It doesn’t help planning an hour workout with you only have 20 minutes.
By knowing how much time you have, you can now plan what type of exercise you're going to do.
Knowing what type of workout you’re going to do each day helps avoid wasted time scrolling though social media or YouTube looking for a workout.
Monitor the weather ahead of time if you are planning to workout outside.
Keep your workout appointment just as you would a doctor's appointment.
If you are pressed for time, you can space your workouts at 10-minute intervals. These can have huge benefits, physically and mentally.
If you’re are time poor and have school going kids who have after school sports, use this time to walk during their practice time.
If you need a walking plan, click here.
Hack # 14 - Fitness Journal
Our thoughts, emotions, sleep quality, nutrition and stress levels all affect our exercise.
If you enjoy journaling, why create a fitness journal?
Identifying these areas and the effect they have on our exercise routine will help us make better-informed decisions about how we exercise; the intensity and duration, and/or exercise preference to match that.
The main reason for using a Fitness journal is to track your fitness journey.
The benefits of keeping a fitness journal are:
01 - Helps you set goals.
A 2007 study by Gail Matthews Department of Psychology, Dominican University of California shows 'The positive effect of written goals than those who wrote was supported: Those who wrote their goals accomplished significantly more than those who did not write their goals."
02 - It keeps you accountable
03 - Identifies obstacles to exercise to overcome
Only when we reflect on our thoughts or our barriers towards exercise, can we bring those barriers into the light and only then can change come.
04 - It can help you stay motivated.
05 - You can track your progression and avoid injuries.
When you're starting out with exercise, whether it is walking or starting strength training, it is essential that gradually increase your distance and speed or increase the number of sets or reps (repetition - how many times you do an exercise), amount of weight or resistance.
It is recommended to increase your distance by no more than 10% of your walking volume each week.
06 - You can identify patterns.
07 - From identifying patterns, you can adjust your approach to your workout.
08 - It can help deepen self-awareness.
09 - It helps create mental health awareness.
10 - Visually see how far you've come and celebrate wins.
11 - Recognise areas that need improvement
12 - Helps with being consistent in your exercise.
How to start a Fitness Journal
Start off by writing down what your fitness goals using the S.M.A.R.T. method. This can help you define or clarity what those goals are.
Identify possible barriers you may have to achieve those goals.
Break down each fitness goal/s from the forest to a tree, to the branch, the leaf etc. into smaller, achievable steps.
Track your progress
Identifying these areas and the effect they have on our exercise routine will help us make better-informed decisions about how we exercise; the intensity and duration, and/or exercise preference to match that.
The main reason for using a Fitness Journal is to track your fitness journey,
If you need help with a Fitness Planner, I have created one for you with journal prompts to help you get started.
If you would like a copy of this done for you Fitness Journal with journal prompts, just complete the form below and I’ll get that to you asap.
Hack # 15 - Workout Planner
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” - Benjamin Franklin
The same can be said about your workout. If you don't plan, how would you where you are or where you're going, how do you know how to get there? Or when you get there, how would you know?
For example, if you’re starting out doing strength training, right down the exercise, how much weight you’re using, how many sets and repetitions you’ve done. Or if you’re doing a home workout using your body weight, exercises like pushups, squats, lunges or dips, write down how many you did of each.
Or if you’ve started walking, write down, how long it took you, what route you took. You can also add how your felt before and afterwards.
On the days when you’re struggling for motivation or inspiration, you can look back and see how far you’ve come. You’ll be surprised!
I did this when I started out doing strength training after 20 years and could not believe seeing my progress on paper. It inspired me to keep going.
You may also not workout to your full potential or even skip your workout completely if you do not have a clear plan in place in the first place.
Keep fitness Workout Planner for your training sessions.
Create a workout planner (or better still I have created one for you).
It can be as simple as grabbing a notebook and logging your workout:
01 - Logging the distance you walked, ran or cycled.
02 - For strength training, write what weight you used, and how many sets (the number of repetitions of doing the same exercise without stopping) and reps (reps = repetitions = when you perform a specific exercise a certain number of times.
03 - How long it took you,
04 - How you felt afterwards?
Or go more in-depth like adding:
05 - Fitness goals
06 - Today's focus
07 - Today's affirmation
08 - Today I am grateful for (list 3 things)
09 - What your warm-up, workout and cool-down was.
10 - Mood tracker
11 - Water tracker
12 - Habit tracking
13 - Notes
Seeing on paper how well you progress each week can inspire and motivate you to keep going.
Or on days when you’re struggling, you can look back and see how far you’ve come. Or when you are pushed for time, you can always look back through your Workout planner for shorter workouts. It's a win-win.
If you would like your copy of this Beginner’s Daily Workout Planner, just complete the form below and I’ll send it to you.
Hack # 16 - Always have a plan B.
When you’ve planned your workouts for the week, things may not go to plan.
Life happens and you may not have control over them.
Ask yourself ‘What can I do instead of my Plan A or when my Plan A falls through?
Having a backup or fallback Plan B will help you stay on track, reduce decision fatigue, and still remain consistent with exercise.
For example: You may have thought that you have an hour to workout, only to find out that you now have 20 minutes.
This is where the previous Hack # 15 really works well. Looking back through your previous workouts that you’ve already done before comes in handy for ideas.
For example, have a 10, 20-, 30-, 45- and 60-minutes workout routine planned so that you can adjust, pivot, and still workout.
This will save you wasted time searching for time-relevant workouts as you'll have them in your workout planner ready to go. Win-win.
What do you think? Is this a hack that could work for you?
Hack # 17 - Pushed for time?
When you’re pushed for time, you can train more muscles groups with fewer exercises by doing compound exercises.
This type of exercise is very time efficient, working multiple muscle groups at the same time and can be modified for every fitness level.
Here are some compound exercises that you can do at home:
5 compound exercises for legs:
Bodyweight squats - works the quads, glutes
Lunges - works the quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves
Single-leg deadlifts - works the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and core
Step-ups - works the quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core
Goblet squat
Arms:
3 compound exercises for arms using your bodyweight:
Pushups - works the chest, triceps, shoulders, and core. There are endless number of ways of doing pushups e.g., diamond pushups, triceps pushups, narrow pushups, wide grip pushup, shoulder tap pushup, pike pushup, pushups with rotation etc.
Triceps dips - works the triceps, chest, and shoulders.
Plank - Works the core, and spine. As with pushups, there are a variety of planks that can be done namely high plank, side plank, plank into pushup, side plank, rocking forward and back plank, plank with shoulder tap etc.
10 full body compound exercises that uses bodyweight only:
Burpees - works the quads, hamstrings, glutes, chest, triceps, shoulder and core. This can be modified by walking out the feet, instead of jumping them out.
Squat - works the legs, glutes, and core. Adding a jump with the squat will increase the intensity of this exercise. It is recommended for women over 50 to add more dynamic movement like jumps into their workout to increase bone density.
Single-leg deadlift
Lunges - works the glutes, hamstrings, thighs and calves.
Mountain climbers - works the legs, glutes, arms, and core.
Push-ups - works the chest, triceps, shoulders, and core.
Plank - works the abs, back, shoulders, and arms.
Bridge - works the glutes and thighs. Here you can add single-leg bridge too.
Bear crawl - works the shoulders, triceps, chest, glutes, and leg muscles.
Crab crawl.
Hack # 18 - Just 30 seconds
If the thought of a hard workout brings upon a cold sweat, or if you can’t bear to think of a challenging exercise that you have to do, think about only getting through the next 30 seconds of exercise.
By mentally cutting your workouts into manageable chunks can help you stay mentally focused, motivated and present.
Our minds are one of the strongest tools we have. You can teach it to use this as a coping mechanism.
Hack # 19 - Change the time you exercise.
Is this you? You have it in your mind to exercise first thing in the morning, but you keep sleeping in and another day goes by that you don’t exercise.
Or if you have an all-or-nothing mindset and you have planned to exercise for 30 minutes, but you’re delayed at work that plan goes out the window. leaving you frustrated and irritated.
Set yourself up for success, change the time you exercise.
This may seem logical, but let’s be honest here, if you’re not a morning person and the thought of getting up earlier is your biggest exercise barrier than the workout itself, change the time you move.
For example, walk during your lunch break or if you have a couple of tea-breaks in a day, walk one of them.
Also, if you have to fetch kids after school, why not arrive 20 minutes early and walk before you do the after-school sports run?
If it’s impossible to exercise before work, and if you can only exercise after work, get dressed into your exercise clothes at work before heading out to the gym or going out for your walk before heading home. Find what works for you.
Hack # 20 - Change into your workout clothes as soon as you can.
“The idea behind doing that is you’ve met your goal and it’s probably difficult to take those exercise clothes off without actually doing some form of exercise.” - Associate professor and vice chair of education and administration in the department of kinesiology and health at Rutgers University in New Jersey,
In other words, once you’ve got those biking shorts, running shoes or yoga pants on, you might as well do a workout.
It’s a strategy Alderman uses himself. He recommended setting a goal of putting your exercise clothes on at least three days a week for three months as a start.
Hack # 21 Show up for yourself.
We are all different. What motivates one person may not be your motivation.
At the end of the day, nobody can motivate you to move.
Head knowledge is not enough i.e., Knowing the benefits of exercise, but it doesn’t move you. You’ve got to find your own motivation.
When you don’t have the motivation, that’s when you need Hack # 23.
Hack # 22 - Have an accountability partner.
Whether you do Pilates, yoga or HIIT classes, having someone who has the same exercise interests or goals as you, will help keep you accountable.
Whether you both go out to a studio class or are following a YouTube workout at home, having a training buddy could help you be more consistent and motivated to exercise.
That’s why I find livestreaming online Pilates so effective for my clients. They know that when they click their Zoom link for their class, I am already waiting on the other side.
Hack # 23 - Have a spring goal.
Have something to work towards, for example, walking a 5km fun race or running a 10 km or half marathon in spring. That way, you train for during winter for that spring goal.
Hack # 24 - Visualise your success.
Visualization is a powerful motivator for some.
See yourself fitter, stronger, with more energy and vigour to do things you to do today and the future.
Hack # 25 - Stay in your lane.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” -
- Theodore Roosevelt
Don’t play the comparison game. You do you.
Nothing is more demotivating than seeing someone half your age doing the same exercise as you, with twice the weight used.
Instead of comparing yourself to them, shirt your mindset to one that sees others at the gym as those, like you, striving towards good health and wellbeing.
Just know that every day that you workout, YOU’RE getting stronger and fitter. What you do has nothing to do with anybody else, but you. Remember, everyone was once a beginner.
Hack # 26 - ADD don’t subtract.
This very helpful tip comes from Kaisa of Kaisa Fit and I thought I should share it with you.
ADD don’t subtract first - We often think that in order to get started on our health and movement journey we need to REMOVE a bunch of things, especially when it comes to nutrition.
My advice is simple, rather than removing things first, try adding things.
Add more veggies, add more water, add more sleep, add more movement! Rather than starting with an elimination of all the “bad” things, try adding few things you KNOW are good for you! - Kaisa of Kaisa Fit
Valuable advice, I think.
Hack # 27 - Watch your words.
While this is not an exercise hack perse, it is a very important matter to mention. There is no point in trying all the above hacks when you are unkind to yourself through the words you speak over yourself.
Words can build you up or break you down. Watch how you speak to and about yourself.
Words have wings.
Here are some examples of how to replace negative words with positive ones can help you adopt a more can-do attitude when it comes to self-talk about exercise.
- ‘Instead of saying "I hate exercise," say "I'm learning to enjoy exercise."
- Instead of saying "I'm not good at this," say "I'm getting better every day."
- Instead of saying "I don't have time for this," say "I'm making time for this because it's important to me."
- Instead of saying "I'm too tired," say "I'll feel better after I exercise."
- Instead of saying "I don't have the energy for this," say "I'm building my energy by exercising."
- Instead of saying "I'm too busy," say "I'm making time for my health."
- Instead of saying "I can't do this," say "I'm capable of doing this."
- Instead of saying "I don't see any results," say "I'm making progress every day."‘
There is scientific evidence to back up the benefits of positive self-talk. For example, a systematic review of 47 studies found that positive, instructional, and motivational self-talk can have beneficial effects on performance.
Another study showed that self-talk can enhance self-confidence and reduce cognitive anxiety.
There is also MRI evidence suggesting that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks.
You wouldn’t speak to your BFF that way. So why talk to yourself that way?
Source: -
Hack # 28 - Remember why you started to
exercise.
On the days when you lack motivation to exercise, remember why you started. Writing it down on a sticky-note and putting it on your alarm clock and another on the bathroom mirror is a great visual reminder to get out there and just do it.
Exercise can mean ‘me-time’ or a time to depress before heading home to your family.
The mental health benefits, on the other hand, happen almost immediately. People feel better, less stressed and more relaxed, which may be especially important during the hectic holiday season and a time when many suffer from seasonal affective disorder.
Take it from me. If you are already exercising, keep at it. It’s far too hard to start all over from the beginning in summer, if you stop during winter.
Now relook at your list of barriers from hack # 1. Now mark off the many counter hacks in this blog. How did we do?
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”
If you have exercised in the past, you’ll know about that good feeling you get once you have exercised. Your endorphins have kicked in and you’re feeling top of the world.
Take it from me. If you are already exercising, keep at it. It’s far too hard to start all over, from the beginning if you stop during winter.
While we all want to eat comfort food during winter, end the end goal in mind. You can eat healthy, nutritious comfort food during winter, keeping your health front of mind.
I am not a morning person. I would rather sleep than get up early to exercise. Recently my daughter gave me a gym voucher. Thankfully the gym was less than a 5-minute ride from home. (It was probably the reason she gave me the gift, so I would drive her. 🙂
We left home at 6h50 to be at the gym ready to go as the class ended and people left.
The major thing that I find helps is exercise first thing in the morning, I personally am not one for exercising in the evening as I am winding down to the evening. The other thing that motivates me is that at this time in my life, I exercise depositing into my future. I want to be strong, mentally and physically. I also want to live an independent, active life.
We often rate a good workout by how sore we are the next day. The truth is that we often overtrain, thinking that’s better for us, but it’s not. If you feel smashed after every workout, I promise you, you will not want to work out the next day and you will end up hating exercise.
Don’t worry if you’re not currently active, have never exercised, or have stopped these good habits for some reason. It’s never too late to get moving, and by picking up this booklet and looking through it, you’ve taken an important step toward better health.
Relook at your list of barriers from point number 1. Now mark off how many counter hacks in this blog and mark them off against your list. How did we do?