How To Find Motivation To Go To The Gym In the Winter

How to find motivation to go to the gym in the winter.  We have all felt it, the overwhelming urge to skip going to the gym.  There is always an excuse available.  We had a long stressful day at work.  We have work to catch up on at home.  We are feeling extra tired today.  These excuses tend to multiply in the winter time when the days are colder and darker.  No one wants to leave the cozy confines of their home to venture out into the cold.

motivation to go to the gym in the winter

However, on days like these, it is just as important to go to the gym and work out.  By skipping a workout and giving into the excuses, you are breaking the healthy habits you have formed.  On days like this, it is crucial to find the motivation to go to the gym.  Getting to the gym will make you feel good and will continue to strengthen those healthy habits.

But how can you find that motivation?  It’s one thing to know that it is important to work out, but it is an entirely different thing to get up off the couch and go to the gym.  We understand the struggle, and we are here to help!  We have come up with some unique ideas to help give you the motivation you need to feel good!

Getting to the Gym on Lazy Days

Find ways to make working out entertaining

Working out doesn’t have to be miserable or boring.  Find ways to keep yourself entertained while exercising.  Create fun playlists, or find motivational podcasts!  Studies have shown that upbeat music or inspirational podcasts can improve the efficiency of your workout.  Now that we live further from the gym, I try as much as possible to work out every other day.  One thing I’ve found to help me from breaking my routine is to assign one good streaming T.V Show that I exclusively watch while on the treadmill.  If you pick a good show most likely, you’ll find yourself wanting to go work out to watch it.

Switch up your routine

It is easy to fall into the same routine each time you go to the gym.  Avoid the impulse to stay with what you are comfortable with!  Find new workouts online to add to your roster or follow a fitness guru on Instagram.  Not only does switching up your routine reduce boredom, but it will also target different parts of your body and give you a better workout.

Find ways to hold yourself accountable

Find a workout partner to help hold you accountable.  Sometimes peer pressure is good!  You are much more likely to go to the gym if you have a friend there waiting for you.

Plan how you want to feel later in the day

For me, this is super important because I know that if I want to feel good later at the end of the day, I need to go to the gym.  I know that if I don’t go, I’ll be feeling as if I didn’t accomplish anything in that area of my life that day and the entire feeling will make me feel less happy.  So I plan to go to the gym during the day to make sure that I’ll be feeling satisfied and happy about not giving up into laziness.  It’s a physical sacrifice that will be emotionally rewarded later.

Don’t be afraid to reward yourself

You made it to the gym!  Rewarding yourself is ok!  If you made it to the gym on an especially tough day, indulge in a yummy, yet healthy, snack!  Sundays are very special days for me, so I make sure that I enjoy a lovely brunch with a few Pão de queijo.

Keep A Work Out Mood Board

If you are a visual person whose inspiration comes through your eyes, then there isn’t a more assuring way to find motivation than with a physical goal mood board.  It may sound ()() to others but looking at your goals every day will keep you going to the gym.  Whether you are going to the Gym to get stronger, cuvier and beautiful or you are doing it to lose weight having a mood board to look at every day will keep you motivated.

Understand setbacks happen

Don’t let one bad day get you down.  Aim for your best workout each day, And if you have a bad day, remember tomorrow is a new day.

Working out doesn’t have to be a drag.  In most instances, you will feel better off for having made it to the gym.  Studies show that working out improves your mental health as well as your physical health!  Even on those days when you would rather curl up on the couch, you will feel accomplished for having found the will to better yourself and your body!