Slay Your Winter Workouts
February is upon us, and if you’re anything like me, that means your New Year’s fitness resolutions may have already fallen to the wayside. According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 64 percent of NYE resolutions are maintained after February, and that number just keeps decreasing as the year continues. Not to worry! With a few simple tricks & tips, you can keep your motivation and accountability up year round.
Buddy Up!
Sure, it’s easy to ditch your own commitment to a workout — but once you give a friend your word that you’ll be there, it’s much harder to bail! Research shows that finding a workout buddy increases your odds of following through, and obviously, it’s way more fun to get your sweat on with your bestie by your side. Working out with a friend not only motivates you to show up to that 8 AM Circuit Works class, but can also help push you during a workout, as studies show we tend to perform closer to our peak level of fitness when surrounded by our peers.
Give Yourself A Reward
While working out with the goal of better health is awesome, sometimes small tangible rewards are extremely effective in helping us reach our long term fitness goals. Treating yourself to an episode of your favorite show after a workout, or a new set of cute workout clothes after reaching your monthly fitness goal might help motivate you to get up and get moving. Of course, the real reward is how great you’ll feel after you kill that awesome workout — but little incentives along the way definitely help.
Switch It Up
Surprising your body and mixing up your fitness routine, with everything from yoga to kickboxing to high intensity interval training, is an extremely effective way to see results more quickly. Sometimes doing the same workout too much can cause our bodies to plateau, and swapping in a boxing class for your usual yoga class every once in a while can keep you feeling fresh & excited. Working out is about learning about ourselves and our bodies, and finding new ways to engage your body is a surefire way to make the gym more exciting.
Sound of Music
Music is such a huge part of working out. Turning on the right tune with the right BPM for your workout can make all the difference in your morning run or afternoon sweat sesh. Thanks to amazing new technology, you can tailor your playlist to the intensity levels of your workout. Apps like Pandora, RockMyRun, and Spring can curate the perfect playlist for your workout based on the activity you’re doing.
