How to overcome your winter excuses

WORDS: Karla Gilbert PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

Feeling comfortable in your own skin is not seasonal. Having a year-round goal of looking after yourself through exercise and healthy eating helps you stay energised and maintain a stable weight year-round.

LET’S be honest. Frigid temperatures, bone-chilling winds and dark morning skies are not ideal when we are trying our best to motivate a departure from the warm doona that engulfs us at night during the winter months.

While we know the hardest part is making the process happen, very rarely do we ever regret the decision after the fact. So what is the trick to knowing how to motivate yourself and overcome barriers that stop you in your best intentional tracks?

“Research shows it is easier to stick to a routine when consistency is at play – so making a weekly plan, specifying on what days you will do what will reduce on-the-fly poor decision making.”

I personally have grown to understand that if I embrace the cooler winter months it acts as a break in the monotony of the early morning heat we experience in Australia. I love the feeling of being able to watch the sunrise for the day – a sight that never grows old nor is taken for granted. I love the feeling of being in the minority and greeting like-minded folk as we nod at each other with an amicable smile. This is what entices me to embrace winter fitness.

Let’s face it there aren’t enough hours in the day, so trying to fit everything into daylight hours will leave us short of our goals – not only for our fitness but for our mental well-being too. Adjusting each season with our mindset reduces the probability that excuses will enter the picture. There may be a little bit more ‘grit’ involved to see you lace up the shoes, but this does come easier as the process becomes more habitual.

Here are some more tips that might help.

Have the right gear

There is no such thing as feeling cold if you have the correct gear.  This may mean investing in lightweight layers such as a long-sleeve breathable top, tights or gloves. It is always best to start off feeling a little cold purely because it doesn’t take long to warm up and excess gear can be a pain to juggle.

Set the plan in stone

Schedule your workouts and guard them like a crazy person. Owe it to yourself that this is your non-negotiable time to do something for yourself. Place your clothes out the night before if it means you are not disturbing the rest of the house and never rely on natural wakening – even if you are five minutes off the planned time you were going to squeeze in some activity, this can be enough of an excuse. Set an alarm or always make sure you are leaving the office by a set time. Research shows it is easier to stick to a routine when consistency is at play – so making a weekly plan, specifying on what days you will do what will reduce on-the-fly poor decision making.

Utilise the indoors

Sure, it might be raining and when mixed with the dark and cold, there is certainly a strong case for staying indoors. Working out in your home doesn’t take much effort – with free workouts on YouTube that use bodyweight, you will never feel bored. Try yoga, HIIT, Pilates, dance and spin bike workouts if you have the resources and skip the travel time it takes to get to the gym.

Rest when you need to

Winter time naturally asks us to be a little kinder to ourselves and offers the opportunity to sleep in a little bit more and retreat from the elements at night. When we are rested and take time for recovery it’s easier to be motivated to exercise, so it’s important to find the balance. Having purpose through a goal such as hiking on the weekends, a fun run, charity bike ride or triathlon will give more meaning and reason to listen to your body. The world is reopening and so are sporting events so go on,  commit to an event and enjoy the goal setting benefits that come with it.

Summer bodies are made in winter

Feeling comfortable in your own skin is not seasonal. Having a year-round goal of looking after yourself through exercise and healthy eating helps you stay energised and maintain a stable weight year-round. They say a summer body is made in winter, but I like to think a little deeper on this one and suggest a body that endures the seasons releases feel-good hormones year-round – which is far more important than how we look.

Being aware of our thoughts and catching ourselves when we feel like we are spiralling into an excuse-making moment can be an empowering trait. Questioning the inner voice to see if there is in fact any truth behind the excuse helps to reframe and devalue what could be outdated information.

Beating the winter blues is not a myth – it’s a scientifically recognised phenomenon. Having strategies and a toolkit full of ways you know you can outwit excuses when they pop up is the most important hurdle you will need to overcome on your way to enjoying a winter fitness routine.

Karla Gilbert OAM is a former professional athlete who helps individuals and corporations as a nutrition and health coach. Visit www.karlagilbert.com.au for more information and healthy recipes.