How do you keep motivated in winter

kenyonhaff

TayaCurragh wrote: »

I can see quite a few of you have said you exercise at home.

I exercise at home however in the winter, it's still dark out when I wake up and I really struggle to get out of bed. I get up between 30 - 45 minutes earlier than when I exercise, so it's very tempting to stay in bed. Does anyone have any tips for this?

Do what you do if you were going to work or school...set an alarm. Do not give into the temptation to hit snooze. Put the lights on as soon as possible will tell your brain to wake up. But admittedly I'm a morning person so this usually isn't an issue.

Also, your body has natural rhythms and while some people can wake up, roll out of bed and run 5k or deadlift or Zumba...others struggle with that. That don't make them lazy.

Mouse_Potato

TayaCurragh wrote: »

I can see quite a few of you have said you exercise at home.

I exercise at home however in the winter, it's still dark out when I wake up and I really struggle to get out of bed. I get up between 30 - 45 minutes earlier than when I exercise, so it's very tempting to stay in bed. Does anyone have any tips for this?

I am a night owl forced to live on a day schedule that requires me to get up in the middle of the night (which is any time before sunrise). I recently purchased one of those alarm clocks that gradually fills the room with light, simulating a sunrise. It seems to be helping.

Lolinloggen

TayaCurragh wrote: »

I can see quite a few of you have said you exercise at home.

I exercise at home however in the winter, it's still dark out when I wake up and I really struggle to get out of bed. I get up between 30 - 45 minutes earlier than when I exercise, so it's very tempting to stay in bed. Does anyone have any tips for this?

We have a wake up light with alarm It simulates natural light and makes waking up easier. e have it set to a sunrise of 20 minutes. The alarm we have set is a blackbird singing. The bird will get annoyingly LOUD.
It is not cheap but my husband just could not stand my alarm goes hit it and jump out in 5 seconds flat routine a I had when I moved in with him. It made that he too woke up in a rather intense way and he did not like that. Thi way we wake up ore gently
There is a drawback - That blackbird noise is actually quite authentic and we have blackbirds nesting in our garden. I have been known to try to switch the alarm off in spring only to come to the conclusion it were our real life birds singing to their hearts content at 5 am

Mouse_Potato

Lolinloggen wrote: »

TayaCurragh wrote: »

I can see quite a few of you have said you exercise at home.

I exercise at home however in the winter, it's still dark out when I wake up and I really struggle to get out of bed. I get up between 30 - 45 minutes earlier than when I exercise, so it's very tempting to stay in bed. Does anyone have any tips for this?

We have a wake up light with alarm It simulates natural light and makes waking up easier. e have it set to a sunrise of 20 minutes. The alarm we have set is a blackbird singing. The bird will get annoyingly LOUD.
It is not cheap but my husband just could not stand my alarm goes hit it and jump out in 5 seconds flat routine a I had when I moved in with him. It made that he too woke up in a rather intense way and he did not like that. Thi way we wake up ore gently
There is a drawback - That blackbird noise is actually quite authentic and we have blackbirds nesting in our garden. I have been known to try to switch the alarm off in spring only to come to the conclusion it were our real life birds singing to their hearts content at 5 am

That's the same alarm I have. The birds are quite realistic. I get the added bonus of my cats running over me to check them out every morning.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Fall has always been a big challenge for me. This year, I trained for a HM that was in October. This got me through September very nicely. Now I'm thinking about goals for winter. Last January, I ran every Saturday morning with a friend. (He actually ran every day outside that month.) Having an outdoor activity in winter is a help. It can be walking, snow shoeing, running, xc skiing, downhill skiing, fat tire biking, you name it as long as it helps you to visualize your fitness!

girlwithcurls2

cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »

This is a cliche but I’m not motivated. I just do it automatically because it’s what I’m used to doing. Sorry if that’s not a helpful reply but it’s true for me. Forget motivation, just do it

This is me. I had to get into the mindset that "it's what I do" so that I'd do it regardless of how motivated I was feeling. My motivation is nothing I can count on. It's super high in the morning (when I'm at work, so it's impossible to work out), but by afternoon, it's waning, along with my energy. I found over time that going home and then going back out was not going to work for me. Now, I go straight to the gym. I either lift or swim, depending on the day. Afterward, there is a water cardio class that I usually go to. If I skip the class, there's nothing to feel badly about because it's a bonus workout. I just don't give myself an out. If I do, then those days will add up and before I know it, I'm out of the habit. Habits are about consistency. Results are because of better habits.

CSARdiver

Dump motivation. Choose discipline.

I start looking for things I am naturally uncomfortable with and get comfortable with these things. With winter this was initially thrust upon my by my high school track coach. He was a big believer in making things as horrible as possible in training so that meets seemed like a blessing. Winter training was big and we would run in shorts until we became adjusted to the weather. After a mile run we'd get rewarded with additional layers, but by then we were warmed up and would be fine with it.

This eventually turned into a love of cold weather, which evolved into a love of skiing, ice climbing, mountaineering, etc.

Gisel2015

No much difference for me between winter and summer. My winters are not existent, compared with the rest of the country, and I workout indoor with fitness classes in the morning and the gym in the afternoon.

The advantage that I have between fall and spring is that I can walk to and from the gym, if there is no wind, or that I can add a walk (I don't run) during the week if, I want to.

Our summers are extremely hot so walking outside during the day is not recommended, and I am not getting up a 5AM to do it.