Having trouble staying motivated to train when it’s cold? You are not alone, it’s fairly common and there are a variety of reasons, such as:
Daylight - during the winter the days are shorter so we have less exposure to light which has an impact on our mood, sleep quality, concentrating levels which can all make getting up and working out much more of a challenge
Cold effects
muscles - According to Dr Sarah Davies from Panacea Health, the cold can make our muscles and tendons feel tighter and therefore we might feeling aches and pains more making us less up for exercise
... However, the best thing for all of the above symptoms (which we will all tend to feel even if we aren’t training)… EXERCISE!
An article I read by Dr Folusha Oluwajana said that 'including helping you to fight off colds, as “regular exercise contributes to a healthy immune system”. If your house is anything like ours, we have somewhat of a revolving door for bugs (thank you school), keeping up a regular exercise regime during the colder months can increase your body's own natural defence when it comes to combating the germs.
Not only does exercise improves your physical health but it also boosts mental health and can help reduce ‘seasonal low mood’ by flooding the system with happy making endorphins. Endorphins are a hormone released by the body that naturally reduce pain and increase enjoyment!
So with all that in mind, we know what we have to do, but it can still feel hard. So here are some of my top tips to stay motivated when it's freezing cold:
1. Adjust your schedule, if you get more tired in the evenings, workout in the morning. Getting it done early reduces the chance you will skip it (and you will feel better for it). But if it's too hard to get o
ut of bed in the dark mornings, go for a walk / run / workout during your lunch break
2. Get as much daylight on your face as you can. This can have an overwhelmingly positive effect on your mental health. Anything that makes you feel happy is going to increase energy levels.
3. Keep warm, layer up or invest in some cosy winter leggings / workout gear. I actually warm up bundled up in my coat, hat and scarf and one by one each layer comes off, when I feel warm (it doesn't usually take long!)
4. Cold water exposure. Okay this one usually divides the audience, there is a LOT of new science about the benefits of cold water 'therapy' and I won't go into all of them now, other than to say. If you can switch your shower to cold for the last 30 seconds, you will over time build up a resilience t
o the cold, it becomes something you no longer fear so much and your body will feel stronger and more empowered because of it.
I hope you find these steps helpful, share them with your friends / family, especially if you know someone who tends to feel low at this time of the year.
Stay warm and stay active.
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