Making time for you and your fitness
As most of us shiver our way through the depths of winter one of the easiest things to slightly let go of, or to take a back seat for some people is their exercise routine.
It’s no secret that winter is a lot harder for people to stay in their routine, continue exercising regularly and avoid the comfort food. Being so cold outside snuggling on the couch with Netflix is often more appealing.
So, let’s talk about why it’s important to make time for your fitness in winter (but really all year round), and talk about some tips that will help you find a way to make it happen.
Staying fit and healthy is important for many reasons that I’m sure most of us are well aware of. I do think however the most important reason for maintaining a routine during winter is so you can help keep your body healthy, to give it the best chance to fight off any nasty flus or viruses. When we keep our body strong and fit it helps to keep a healthy immune system which is vital if we get exposed to anything in the air. The other part to this equation is also eating healthy. Reaching for the comfort food is always so tempting when you are having a chilled night in when it’s only 2 degrees outside, so keeping this to a minimum is key. It’s also a good idea to remind ourselves of the basics like getting your 3 veg & 2 fruits in each day. These are packed with so many vitamins and minerals that will help keep your body ticking in the right order too.
Now we know the why, let’s talk about how. How do I help myself make time for exercise?
It really comes down to self-discipline. I know as a personal trainer that this is a self taught skill. Nobody can make you do anything or make you learn a skill, it has to come from within. When I talk to my clients about staying on track or making sure they hit their exercise goals, I try to help them understand that they aren’t doing it for me but they are doing it for themselves. This is why finding their own self-discipline is so important. We as trainers can help by encouraging you and by giving you the tools you need, it is then your job to take these and run with them (maybe literally if running is your thing!)
Finding that self-discipline is how you will always ensure you make time for you and your training. So when this is lacking there are things you can do to help find it again. Here are a few of tips to help get you on the right track:
Book in your time for exercise in your diary and make it a non negotiable. Unless it’s an absolute must then try not allow anything or anyone move this. A good way to help this process is to think about what would happen if that task waited another 30 minutes? If the answer is nothing diabolical than you’re all good! Remember getting your body moving will be one of the least amount of time consuming things you will do all day.
Set time goals that are realistic. Don’t tell yourself you are going to train or hit the gym for a 2 hour session, or 2 back to back classes if you know you can’t do this every time. When you do this and you start to resent the decision, this will have a negative impact on regaining self-discipline. Start with even something as little as 30 minutes.
Make it a priority. Avoid making excuses as to why you can’t do it, and find reasons (like the ones above) as to why you should. Just like we prioritise many other things in our lives, exercise can be prioritised as well. Having said this I understand there are times when it just won’t happen for one reason or another, however this typically isn’t going to be everyday. So as long as we don’t let it spiral into a regular occurance you can absolutely still make a positive impact on yourself!
Do the classes or exercise you enjoy! This is one of the most important points. You have to be enjoying what you’re doing. So maybe that means joining some group fitness classes (like our awesome bootcamp’s or online sessions), or maybe trying to include some yoga into your week? Whatever it is make sure you finish your session feeling happy and accomplished!
Celebrate your wins! If you’ve amped up from 1 or 2 sessions a week to 3 or 4 that is absolutely a win and you should be feeling better for it. Wins don’t always need to be body metric related.
Now take a big deep breath and try and absorb all of that! Learning these tools might seem easy enough on paper, but implementing them takes time and practice. Now it’s time to have a think about what you can do to help make more time for your fitness goals and start to implement more self-discipline.
If you’d like to come and try any of our online or in person group sessions, or to talk about personal training, please contact me here
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @terminator_fitness_melbourne