I'm in winter hibernation mode. How to stay motivated to workout during those cold winter nights?

When I know I have a long day ahead of me and I leave at like 5:45 in the morning, not to return until at least 6pm, I leave out my gym clothes and set things up at home to remind myself to stick with the routine and keep my appointments. On gym days I go to work in my gym clothes and sneakers, and just head straight there after work. I treat working out like any other appointment not to be missed - work, doctors, grooming, walking the dog, etc. You get the idea. Good luck!

Just focus on why you are on this journey, and use that to get you *kitten* to the gym. Thats what I do, and it works. Wrap up, get yourself there, workout getting hot in the process, hot shower, wrap up and then back home boom, transformation complete!!

The big appeal of gyms for me is that they stay the same temperature inside all year. I prefer the cooler times of the year because I don't get sweaty walking to the gym.

As someone has suggested, try stopping by the gym before you go home for the evening my help you. Maybe dressing in warm layers or getting yourself a nice warm pair of winter boots would help you learn to enjoy winters after living in such a tropical place. I usually look forward to it getting cool enough to wear boots again.

I totally understand. That's why I moved to Florida from colder regions. Here is the step you are missing. You have to leave the house to go to school. You need to work out between school and home. The minute you step into that door, it's over.

You don't want it enough otherwise you would 'just do it'

Just do it.

I'm from Canada and we have cold days too where that warm bed is calling. I use working out as a way to warm up and give me energy. I use Fitness Blender's free workouts at home so I don't have to leave for the gym. Hot tea also helps to get those insides warm.

NoelFigart1 wrote: »

It was 7F outside this morning. I went to a gym. The water in the pool was more like 80F.

I find if I worry about motivation or emotional engagement, I'm making a mistake. I ignore my emotions and just go.

This sums it up for me. I just recently started going back to my gym again, right at the start of dark evenings and cold weather... So long as I get out the door I will go whether I look forward to it or not. And by the time you get out of the gym all hot and tired, the cold air outside can actually feel pretty good.

bennettinfinity wrote: »

HealthyVitamins wrote: »

You don't want it enough otherwise you would 'just do it'

^^This... once fitness becomes a priority, you'll no longer need to find 'motivation' to exercise and weather will no longer be an excuse not to.

I disagree. She asked for help to find motivation, and I don't think saying 'just do it' is helpful.

I'm committed to exercise and fitness is a priority for me (I go to the gym when I've had 3 hours broken sleep because my 7 month has been up most of the night. I went to the gym until 38 weeks pregnant, even throughout the first trimester nausea) but there are some days when I need some extra motivation.

I think of my nice clothes, and how good I'll feel after the workout.

Also, if the op is too cold to cook dinner some days, she's probably not eating enough, which isn't going to help energy levels, and then she'll be too tired for the gym. I find exercise gives me more energy.

There are plenty of at home, body weight workouts you can do if you find yourself cold and already home. Last night for example, I had a long drive home and clearly was not in mode to change and go to the gym. I also had a pile of laundry to fold, and clothes & food for my coming workday to get sorted, etc.

I did the following:

15 prisoner get ups
rest (folded some laundry)*
12 4 count body-builders (similar to burpees)
rest (put away folded laundry)
Repeated this 4 times for a total of 8 heartrate raising, bodyweight intervals. I felt much better and got my laundry done!
*until heart rate went down.

Saturday was spent baking Christmas cookies with my Mom as is our tradition. Again, knowing the gym was not an option, challenged myself to 100 pushups for the day. I did four sets of 25.

Trust me, these will warm you up and you will feel much better about yourself knowing you did something. Try it.

I have the same thing. If I go home before hitting the gym, I am not going to the gym.

I pack my gym bag at night, making sure I have everything I need. That way, I've already committed some time to it.

I take my gym bag with me in the morning (and now, I take it into work so it isn't sitting in my cold car). I go directly to the gym after work, no stopping. Most of the time when I head there, especially on colder, rainy, sleeting days, I am saying to myself, I don't want to do this. I don't want to go. It's cold. I don't want to." So, I tell myself I will go and do a 15 minute run. If I don't want to do any more after 15 minutes, I'm free to go home.

I have yet to stop after 15 minutes. I usually end up going for an hour or longer and my body is all loosened up and warm and I get all those awesome exercise endorphins.

I wish I had a gym membership this morning. 0 F with windchill. I could only stand 15 minutes at that temp but I was out there. Go before or right after school so you are not tempted to stay inside. I will probably do another 15 to 30 min when I get home from work. It should be about 20F by then.

Honestly I just stock up on a bunch of free youtube videos so I don't have to worry about leaving my house to workout. :P

I feel similarly. During the warmer months - so easy to wake up early and go to the gym. These days - I don't want to deal with the extra effort and time it would take to warm up my car - and so I don't get up for the gym at all.
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I walk to and from work so I do get other activities into my day, but I am not stressing over the gym workout for now, as long as I know that I have other ways I'm moving. Once it warms up again, or if I feel a sudden bout of extra motivation - I'll head back to the gym - but, I'm not going to make gym feel torturous. In the past, when I went, I enjoyed it. And I know I'll get back there. For now - my 40 - 50 minutes a day walking, satisfy me. come March or April, I may be more inclined to get back into my 4:30 am wakeup/gym routine.

I guess my thought is - exercise is great for us - but, if you feel it tortures you more than you enjoy it - then you're doing the wrong routine. Find one you do enjoy - and if it's not at the gym - good for you! ... and if it is? ... well, good for you, also! ...

Enjoy it, and you'll do it.

-Rose

Hi,

I so understand...I live in Dark, Rainy, Cold Western Washington and when I get Out of bed it can be very hard to get my run or hike in during the winter, However...I have some tricks to get me going that I have been doing for a while now.

1.) First, I Made a kitchen commitment to myself and my health by agreeing that every time I go into the kitchen for food or drink I first do some form of exercise.

2.) I put up a chin up bar in my kitchen (pretty inexpensive) that hangs on the trim of the doorway and I have committed to doing all forms of pushups off the counter, squats and pull ups on my chin up bar every time I hit the kitchen. So before I get my morning tea or coffee and breakfast I've already burned off some great warm up stuff. Makes it so much easier to get outside in the rain for the cardio. I also keep my rain gear right there to remind myself to get going.

There is something about doing this that has slowly changed my relationship with food. An added plus.

All the best to you!