Its getting COLD in Boston!!! Last night brought the first sleet/snow of the winter of 2011. It caused traffic to slow down, people to quicken their pace when walking outside, and created a rise in anxiety for many people. However, the truth is that we are going to get a lot more of the cold, snow, sleet, ice, etc before we get the “75 and sunny” again. This change of seasons always brings about a certain roadblock for those on an exercise regimen. It’s just not as easy to pop out of bed and hit the pavement for a morning run or throw on a tank and shorts and zip to the gym. Instead the extra steps of bundling up, scraping ice off the car, heating it up, shoveling the driveway, and driving slower to the gym often keep you in bed, ditching the workout altogether. As daylight lessens, so does motivation and drive to keep up with a work out program. One postponed workout turns into 3 and before you know it, it’s the week before Christmas and you haven’t been into the gym for 2 weeks. And the week before Christmas is full of shopping, wrapping, cooking, and everything BUT working out. The inevitable promise to yourself: I’ll jump right back on the bandwagon after the holidays- it’s just too busy right now and I don’t have any extra time. Its a slippery slope and I’ve seen people go from a religious 3x/wk gym schedule to disappearing from the workout for 1-2 months. DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU. How to avoid this disaster, you ask?? Here are my tips…
Top 5 tips for avoiding the “Holiday Induced Workout Hiatus”
1. Find a workout buddy. Even if you don’t typically workout with a pal, find a friend or family member to team up with you. Plan to meet at the gym at a certain time and either workout together, or for a certain duration of time. Keeping your word & showing up for a friend is often easier than doing so for yourself. Still not enough? Keep each other accountable; if one of you ditches, (s)he owes the other $5 or coffee, etc.
2. Sign up for classes. Most gyms offer group fitness classes (some are included in the price of membership while others cost extra) and signing up for a class at a specific date/time will allow you to “block out” that hour-ish in your schedule. Consider it an “appointment” and you won’t miss it!
3. Register for a Turkey Trot or Jolly Jaunt. There are 5k walk/runs ALL over the place during the holidays and they are the perfect thing to keep you on track. Not only will you show up for the race (and have so much FUN) but you will be extra motivated to maintain a training regimen to reach your goal.
4. Make an appointment with a trainer. Sometimes it all boils down to the fact that Money Talks. If you make an appointment with a trainer and are paying a decent amount of money to do so, chances are you will be more motivated to actually show up and get your money’s worth. PLUS, you have the amazing benefit of gaining knowledge, some new exercises, and a professional guide through the gym! [If this option sounds appealing to you, email me at [email protected] and we can talk training!!!]
5. Don’t make the pit stop at home. If you’re a post-work gym goer, do NOT make that tempting stop at home to change or eat before you hit the gym. While this may not pose a threat during the sunny, warm months, the winter brings a different scenario. Step inside a warm house, change into comfortable clothes and I bet you’re not going to want to go ANYWHERE but the couch. Avoid this trap by packing a bag with gym clothes and a pre-workout snack. Bring this back to work with you and go DIRECTLY to the gym when your work day is done!
What about you? Do you have any tips/tricks for staying motivated and focused on your healthy habits during the holidays and cold winter months?
Top 5 tips for avoiding the “Holiday Induced Workout Hiatus”
1. Find a workout buddy. Even if you don’t typically workout with a pal, find a friend or family member to team up with you. Plan to meet at the gym at a certain time and either workout together, or for a certain duration of time. Keeping your word & showing up for a friend is often easier than doing so for yourself. Still not enough? Keep each other accountable; if one of you ditches, (s)he owes the other $5 or coffee, etc.
2. Sign up for classes. Most gyms offer group fitness classes (some are included in the price of membership while others cost extra) and signing up for a class at a specific date/time will allow you to “block out” that hour-ish in your schedule. Consider it an “appointment” and you won’t miss it!
3. Register for a Turkey Trot or Jolly Jaunt. There are 5k walk/runs ALL over the place during the holidays and they are the perfect thing to keep you on track. Not only will you show up for the race (and have so much FUN) but you will be extra motivated to maintain a training regimen to reach your goal.
4. Make an appointment with a trainer. Sometimes it all boils down to the fact that Money Talks. If you make an appointment with a trainer and are paying a decent amount of money to do so, chances are you will be more motivated to actually show up and get your money’s worth. PLUS, you have the amazing benefit of gaining knowledge, some new exercises, and a professional guide through the gym! [If this option sounds appealing to you, email me at [email protected] and we can talk training!!!]
5. Don’t make the pit stop at home. If you’re a post-work gym goer, do NOT make that tempting stop at home to change or eat before you hit the gym. While this may not pose a threat during the sunny, warm months, the winter brings a different scenario. Step inside a warm house, change into comfortable clothes and I bet you’re not going to want to go ANYWHERE but the couch. Avoid this trap by packing a bag with gym clothes and a pre-workout snack. Bring this back to work with you and go DIRECTLY to the gym when your work day is done!
What about you? Do you have any tips/tricks for staying motivated and focused on your healthy habits during the holidays and cold winter months?
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