5 Ways to Slay Your Workout Goals This Winter

Just like that tired old music playlist, your regular workouts can “fatigue” from overuse—both mentally and physically. Not only does your brain get tired of doing the same moves, your body will naturally acclimate itself to repetitive routines, making them less effective. And when the days are shorter and temperatures are cooler, it can be a major challenge to stay motivated for the “same old, same old” workouts! Here are five easy ways to breathe new life into your winter exercise regimen with easy adjustments to mindset, equipment and location.

1. Make your goals more specific—and creative. 

If you’ve ever made New Year’s resolutions—and who among us hasn’t—you’ve probably figured out that specificity is the ultimate goal-getter. For example: a vague resolution like “be smarter with my money” is much harder to work towards than something crystal clear like “put $5,000 in savings this year.” With regards to fitness, this might be a weight-loss milestone, a time trial (like completing a 5k in 20 minutes) or something as simple as logging a number of workout hours per month—or doing three different kinds of exercise in any given week. Setting specific, realistic goals is the first and most critical step. 

2. Make yourself more accountable.

Once you’ve identified your winter workout goals, it’s time to make yourself accountable for getting there. If you’re a solitary exerciser, a fitness tracker from FitBit, iHealth, or Motiv can help you set milestones along to the way to larger goals. They can also remind you if you’re in danger of missing those milestones, and even make creative suggestions to help you get there in unexpected ways.

If you’re a social exerciser, this is an ideal time to join a gym—and even take your commitment one step further by signing up for a regular class. Studies have shown that a workout buddy can have a dramatic positive impact not only on frequency of exercise, but also the results. This is also a great opportunity to engage friends or co-workers in one of the many 2018 fitness challenges available online.

3. Step up your daily regimen.

If you live in a place with chilly winters, your local high school, semi-pro or professional sports team may have an indoor stadium. Thanks to the recent rise in boot camp-style workout classes, many of these facilities now offer public workout hours! Particularly when you’re surrounded by others who are working toward their own goals, indoor stadium stair climbing can be a great alternative to a gym workout. 

4. Get into the swim of things.

If you’re a fair-weather outdoor swimmer, you might not even think of the pool during winter. But if your town has an indoor pool, this can be a great way to add a dash of variety to your cold-weather workout schedule. Whether you prefer to swim laps or take a water aerobics class, aquatic exercise is one of the healthiest things you can do for your body—with the least impact on your bones and joints.   

5. Elevate your home-gym game.

If you’ve habitually struggled to exercise outside the home—whether that’s actually outside, or at a gym, cycling or yoga studio—why not bring the gym into your home? It’s easy to create an affordable home gym with a small selection of free weights and resistance bands from SPRI, or even build a total strength training temple with state-of-the-art equipment from Bowflex or Total Gym. Once you have your space set up, you can get variety of virtual workouts from Daily Burn…all tailored to whatever equipment you have on hand.

Want to make your workouts even more rewarding? If you are not already a member, Joyn Carepoynt, the world’s first wellness rewards program, platform, and network to start earning and redeeming Poynts for all your healthy choices! Details here.