Motivate your winter training mojo!

Being the first UK winter working as a full time personal trainer in Tunbridge Wells, it is impossible not to notice the quieter gym, subdued attitude, and grey skies outside from the gym floor dampening the usual booming training ethic. The sure sign of winter hit this week, with my huge white snow boots making not one, but two appearances this weekend. It is only weeks into the winter, and with numerous months to go, how do we rekindle the training excitement we saw in the hot summer days?

One of the major reasons for hiring a personal trainer is to motivate you to succeed… So here we have our top five tips to keep you ticking along in your training this winter. After all, another great motivator aside from the summer swimsuits, is surely the sexy Christmas outfits to outshine your work friends at the staff party!

1. A pat on the back.

Remind yourself of what you have achieved so far, look at your before/after photo’s, remind yourself of your former training self (if you were training at all that is!) Every single one of our clients has done brilliantly so far and is continuing to do so, and we are very proud of the results being produced so far. After all, there is nothing more motivating than results…

2 Set a fixed goal.

Review this regularly with your trainer. We test all our clients at least once a month if not once a week on body fat, measurements, and the dreaded progress photo. Look at your biosignature report, and set yourself a specific goal for the restest (for example, an extra two readings off your love handle score). When you feel like staying at home in the warm rather then letting loose on the gym floor, remind yourself of this goal, and imagine how it will feel when you achieve this. Depending what motivates you, as people are different, perhaps remind yourself of how it will feel not to make this goal.

3 Don’t fixate on the big picture.

‘Look at the big picture’ is a commonly used when diet and exercise, everyone wants to take a healthy view to training. To an extent I do agree with this, we are not here to dedicate our whole existence to training… life is for living after all. However, if you are in the early stages of training and transforming your body, I would encourage you not to look at the big picture. It is very common for those looking for a new physique to fixate on the end results, and impatience causes them to give up. So many times I am tell clients how great they are looking, and the evident changes in both their physique and training progress. Trust your trainer as a truthful and objective source as feedback on your progress. For yourself, take each step week by week, and please do not beat yourself up if your diet slips, or training slips for a week or two for whatever reason. Get back up on the horse, pull yourself together, and keep fighting for the goal you claim to want so badly.

4 Don’t allow going to the gym to be a question.

I constantly tell my clients the hardest part of going to the gym is getting off the sofa. Too many people say ‘I might go to the gym later’, only to find them self with a TV dinner with their feet up only hours later. Talk through with your trainer set training days and stick to this like a work schedule. Drag your ass to the gym even if it is raining, you are tired, you have no energy, or you are too busy. If it is important to you, you will make time. What is very important for you to remember, is that taking control ofyour training and nutrition is a positive influence to take control of every other aspect of your life… Work, social, lifestyle… You will feel better, look better (making you feel even better), have more energy, and be happier. Of course this comes at a cost; the cost being sticking to your training plan.

5 Enjoy your training.

Yes training is hard, and no one enjoys the physical during each exercise. Focus on the results of your training, why you are doing each exercise, the benefits. Enjoy how you feel after training and what you have achieved. What is the alternative? UK Winter is too long to hibernate…