It’s all well and good when we have plenty time, when outside it’s sunny and when our surroundings are nothing but postcard like pictures. We are all familiar with glorious Instagram posts of people exercising on white sandy beaches and idyllic gardens. We have all seen videos of fitness instructors inciting us to work hard while their skin is being kissed by the sun as they move around the infinity pool. But what about the reality? What about finding the motivation to go on a run on a dark, rainy winter day before heading off to work? Or finding the energies to attend a gym class at the end of a busy day when all you want to do is snuggle up on the sofa with comfort food? Let’s not even mention the hardship of remaining positive about doing some Pilate in your stinky and crammed shared accommodation or going for a walk when your neighbourhood is nothing but a grid of grey roads and questionable park spaces. Sounds familiar? Welcome to reality.
First of all, let me reassure you that you are not alone! I, for one, found myself in a similar situation when I returned to England after spending two years in Menorca. For anyone who is not familiar Menorca, I am talking about a small Spanish island nestled in the Mediterranean sea, dotted with small white sandy beaches, a picturesque green countryside and no single figure temperatures all year round. My morning walk was nothing but spectacular. A whole different story when I moved to Cambridge following my husband’s call to his dream job as a Wildlife Crime Analysts stopping the illegal trade. After a few sappy days staring at the cold and wet miserable winter weather outside my window, feeling sad for myself and utterly unmotivated, I decided it was time to act! The mantra? GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!
Let’s start with getting equipped against negative attitudes.
The “I don’t have time”, “I don’t have the willpower”, “I’m too tired”, “It’s hard”, “I don’t even like exercise”, “It’s raining outside” are all too familiar blockers. Yes, finding time it’s not always easy but you can prioritise and manage your schedule to make it fit in. Don’t procrastinate over it. Once you’ve allocated a slot to exercise, count 1,2,3 and go. Remind yourself that often the tiredness you feel may just be mental fatigue. It’s worth remembering that you will feel more energised if you do some exercise. Be smart and anticipate these blockers with recalling times you felt reinvigorated after exercising.
Be prepared for bad weather! I find that half the battle is having the right tools which often do not need be the most expensive. Think layers, think warm! Don’t get hung up on the most known form of exercise. Running, football, weightlifting and yoga are just a few of them. There are so many ways of being active! Choose an activity that you enjoy! You don’t even need a Gym. You’d body is your ultimate weight and the outdoor is all you need. Personally, I’d trade fresh air against the stuffy gym air any given day! In the words of Baz Luhrmann in the song “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”: ‘Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own. Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.’ If you don’t like traditional exercise, just dance! And if your motivation is inexistent, then get a buddy or join a class if you can afford it.
Kitting up for the outdoors!
If you are planning on exercising outside, the first thing you must plan is your kit. Be prepared! If you are heading outdoors and if the weather is bad, then get out there with adequate winter wear. Think layers, think thermal leggings and don’t forget gloves and headbands! There’s no point in going out there looking all glamorous in a skimpy top and ending up catching a cold. Make outdoor training comfortable by reducing the risk of being cold and think layers and the right type of material to allow flexibility.
When I moved to Cambridge in the winter of 2019, I quickly realized I needed to be waterproofed. I dug out an old knock off wind jacket I bought in Vietnam for twenty pounds and planned layers for warmth and flexibility. When planning your winter water proof kit try to have fun with it too! I remember wearing a NY cap with my hoodie pulled over it and feeling like some sort of bad ass cross between Eminem and Rocky.
Indoor facilities
For the ones of you who can afford to join a gym, it means being able to exercise whatever the weather. Plus, there’s a lot of activities one can consider taking up or even just trying out. From Indoor climbing, to fencing, boxing, martial arts, a variety of team sports (especially good for the ones who enjoy the socializing aspect of exercising), racket sports and various other exercise classes. For some of you, indoor ice rings, skiing and snowboarding facilities might even be a possibility. It’s worthwhile exploring your options and branching out to see what’s out there that might take your fancy.
The benefit of joining a gym is that there’s a social aspect to it as well. The gym is a social hub that facilitate meeting up with new people allowing new friendships to grow and aiding against loneliness. Classes, training buddies and groups can offer great support and incentives to help regular attendance. However, it also comes down to the individual to make the best of it. A lazy bum can sign up for a gym membership full of good intentions and promises of hard work but quickly end up visiting the gym just for the Swedish sauna…or not even visiting the gym at all.
When going outside and joining a gym are not an option
If going outside is just not an option, be it because it’s too cold or because it’s raining cats and dogs or simply because being outside is not safe, you can look at exercising indoors in your very own home. Even without a gym membership you can plan a workout with just a few inexpensive tools like a Pilate mat, a skipping rope or a couple of light weights. Again, don’t get too hung up on the lack of things you have. You can use a blanket instead of a Pilate mat and you can use your own bodyweight instead of weights. Lunges, squats, pushups, hip bridges and mountain climbers are just some of the workouts you can do without buying any equipment. For workout inspiration check out some YouTube videos. There are plenty free workouts and some of them are also a lot of fun. Some of my personal all-time favourite workouts are the Beach Body- 40 Minute Fat-Burning HIIT Workout by BeFitGo, the Cassie Ho blogilates classes and the PopSugar workouts (I particularly enjoy the boxing workouts by Christa DiPaolo even though I have never – nor do I plan – to get on the ring!).
Now you!
Maybe you have tips, tricks and techniques for motivating yourself, and if you do please share them with us, but for me it was simply that: get out, stop with the excuses, get off your ass, enough with waiting for the sun to come out and make the most of what you’ve got and who knows…you might find it’s actually nicer than you anticipated! In my case, just by giving it a chance, I found a way to enjoy exercising even in the wet English weather and discovered that Cambridge is a great place and has a whole lot of fun activities to offer too.
