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Stay Motivated to Work Out in the Winter, Part 2
Nikki Fitness | February 22, 2008

Last month I wrote about how your favorite fitness music, a slow cooker, a DVD, some hot yoga moves, and a personal trainer could help get you in shape this winter. However, sometimes you need an extra push to get you motivated.

Here are five more ideas to get you through the next five weeks:

1) Put one sneaker in front of the other.  Many of us waste too much time saying we need to work out but dread the process. Trick yourself by just getting dressed for it and not really thinking about the next step. If you take it one step at a time, before you know it you will finish the cool-down and feel amazing.

2) During lunch breaks walk the stairs, or layer up and go outside. Take a walk with your child, pet, husband or neighbor. Or just walk and talk on the cell phone. Put it in your calendar at noon. If it's an appointment, you're more likely to keep it.

3) Try outdoor winter sports like ice skating, snow shoeing, skiing, or sledding. Go build a snowman or igloo with the kids. Shoveling the driveway, as much as you hate it, is a workout too.

4) Do 10.  Waiting on hold on the phone? Do 10 crunches. Getting ready to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner? Do 10 push-ups before your meal. Putting groceries away? Do 10 bicep curls and bent over rows for your upper back with soup cans. Brushing your teeth? Do 10 squats.  Making pasta sauce? Do 10 calf raises. You get the idea. It sounds extreme, but if you do this for one minute every half an hour during your day, that is around 30 minutes of toning exercise.

5) Keep reading Military.com health and fitness sections. Whether it's a new and healthy dish you can make, news about a recent medical study, interesting moves to try at home, or another person's story about how they reached their goals, any inspiration will help.

Then, maybe, when you shed that coat, you'll realize the scale is tipping in your favor.

For more information or fitness tips visit Military.com's Fitness Center.

Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion.


Copyright 2009 Nikki Fitness. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Military.com.

 
About Nikki Fitness

Nikki is a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, fitness writer and the creator of the Military Wife Workout DVD (for all military wives who want to be slimmer, happier, and healthier with an intense interval workout in 30 minutes). Get it at www.nikkifitness.com or by searching for NikkiFitness on Amazon. You can also see her videos and TV interviews at www.youtube.com/NikkiFitness.