That's one reason this time of year is so critical. We're going on the third week of January, one of most depressing months, and it may start to feel like someone has strapped extra weights to your arms and legs.
I'm curious about where are you with your workouts? Are you staying strong or are you finding it hard to generate that motivation? Vote in this week's poll and tell us about it. Be sure to leave a comment if you have some tips to keep going through the long, cold winter.
I also wanted to share a few tricks you can use to get past the doldrums and keep some forward motion going:
- Go through the motions. It would be nice if we woke up with boundless energy every day but, in the middle of one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record, that isn't always going to happen. One solution? Do it anyway. Sometimes you have to keep yourself going just to maintain a little momentum. Even if the workout isn't the best, getting it done is enough.
- Picture the future. It's easy to feel like winter will never end and that you'll never get your motivation back. Picture your life a few weeks from now when the sun is shining and you can actually go out and play. Remind yourself that working out now will give you the strength and energy for those spring and summertime activities.
- Spice things up. Download some new music, try a treadmill workout video, sign up for a new class at the gym or completely change your schedule - workout at night instead of in the morning, exercise on your lunch hour or shake up your strength workouts by trying a totally new method of training. Even a small change can rejuvenate you.
- Get outside. If it's not ridiculously cold outside, try to get outside, even if it's just for a short walk. Sometimes breathing some fresh air is just enough to keep you going. Bundle up!
I think if people broke those big goals down into manageable bits, they’d be easier to stick to. I’m doing great with mine. I’m keeping my notecard with me every day so I have to look at my goals many times a day. Every time I look in my planner, there are my goals staring me in the face. It’s really hard to get off track when they’re right there to look at all the time.
I cannot get motivated enough to exercise
There are some good hints here from Paige.
It’s a good idea for me to revisit my goals and see what adjustments I want to make for the coming year. It will be to stay the course, but also continue to improve my fitness level.
My personal resolution will be to reinvigorate myself, re-energize my inner resolve and dedication to my goals. I’ll start anew, and welcome the challenges yet to come.
We’ve been through a particularly difficult year. Without purpose, without hope, we would be at a loss. Individually, we are capable of great achievement. Collectively as a people, there is virtually no limit to what we can accomplish.
“All you have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to you.” (J.R.R. Tolkien)
I don’t make New Years resolutions, I just do what I decide to do when I decide to do it.
When it comes to motivation, I look at it as if I really want to do it I will, even if I don’t quite get to the goal right away. I’ve just got to at least start it and then just keep going. Any form of exercise, no matter how little of it you do, is better than nothing at all. Miss a day? So, forget about it and just do it today. Didn’t get in that mile? So, did you at least get outside and go around the block? Good! At least you didn’t hide under the covers in bed. . .
delayed by the rhinovirus
will get back on track soon
I have to admit…my New Year’s resolution had nothing to do with exercise this year. I swore to myself that I would curse less this year and I have already let my resolution down. I guess I should have stuck to the exercise more resolution. I think I might have had better luck sticking to it!