Crewroom friend and women's health and fitness coach – Baz Moffat – tells us how to stay motivated throughout the winter months…
For many reasons winter is always a tough one for me to stay motivated. It’s cold, dark, the rivers and lakes I love to swim in are now unappealing and I hate training inside. I receive many calls at this time of year from people who need motivation so I thought I’d share some tips on things which have worked for me.
Know you: Think about what you’ve loved in the past and hated. Don’t start swimming if you love playing netball and find pools boring. If you love pushing yourself hard and being surrounded by disciplined, competitive types then maybe CrossFit would work for you. If you get bored easily and need someone to keep you moving for more than five minutes then look for outside exercise groups like One Element.
Fix the niggles: We’re not all 20 anymore! If you have any niggling injuries or conditions they’re not just going to disappear because you’re ignoring them. Your body will still function but the injury (weakness) will be putting strain on your system so something else is likely to go. Go and get it checked out by a physio.
Get kit that fits: Go out and buy yourself some active wear that makes you stand tall and feel good. It’s amazing how much more you want to exercise if you’ve got well-fitting, fit for purpose kit on as opposed to oversized t-shirts or saggy leggings that fall down as soon as you move. There are so many options to suit all frames and budgets but without a doubt the best leggings around are from Crewroom. Their waist bands have to be tried to be believed, high and secure – there’s no budging. Crewroom are an independent company with three stores in London and an online presence at www.crewroom.co.uk so ticks all round.
Find a coach that makes you feel great: The sign of a good session for me is when I walk out with my head held high, having laughed, where I’ve learnt something, worked hard and got better. A good coach will be able to engage everyone in the room and give them a great session.
Enter an event: This is the classic motivational tool, an oldie but a goody. Enter an event, ideally with a friend and keep each other motivated.
Three times a week: This is the magic number for me. If you commit to exercise three times a week you really do start to see improvements. Anything less then you won’t see much improvement so you’re more likely to give up.
I hope that some of these ideas will help you. Now that the temperature has definitely dropped and the clocks have changed these are just some tips to keep you going until Christmas and into the New Year.
For those of you interested in a bit more support I offer a Strong to the Core programme – which is designed to get you back on track over 4 months, where I guarantee that whatever your goal I will help you get there.