With the evenings now darker, the urge to just get home and sit on the couch can very often beat the desire to go to the gym.
First of all, it’s okay if you feel the urge to slow down. You don’t need to be firing on all cylinders all year round. No need to beat yourself up if you are feeling like nestling up for the winter.
But if you are feeling the need to stay active over the dark months, yet find yourself lacking in motivation, here’s some advice:
- Schedule your workout time. Make an appointment in your calendar. When you schedule things in advance it’s way easier to get them done rather than waiting until all your work is clear and you have the time.
- Set 10/10 targets. A 10/10 target is something you can say with 10/10 confidence you’ll get done. Training every morning at 6am might be way too big an ask. Making 1 session this week for certain is much more achievable. Use this to build a habit of victories (rather than a bunch of false starts.)
- Get an accountability buddy. It can be easy to hit snooze on the alarm but when you’ve promised your training buddy you’ll be there, you will show up to not let them down (and get the abuse they’ll throw your way on WhatsApp for it!)
You don’t have to rely on willpower and force yourself to train. A few minutes of planning, with some support from your gym mates, will make it a lot easier and lot more rewarding.