After possibly the longest winter imaginable for most of us, the sun is shining, the warm weather is fast approaching and it’s time to make the most out of the beautiful weather. And while the sunshine naturally gives us a bit of a mood and energy boost, it can still be a challenge finding time and willpower to allocate to daily movement, especially when sitting on a patio with a friend is so much more tempting. 

Today, we’re sharing our top three ways to stay motivated to move our bodies, no matter what kind of day or mood we’re having.

40/20 Approach

Allocate 40 minutes everyday towards some form of movement. That can be a walk, strength workout, HIIT class, whatever works for you. On days that you don’t feel like exercising (we all have those days), 20 minutes of the 40 minutes are non-negotiable. 

For example, on a day that you don’t feel like exercising – if you usually do a walk, sub the 40 minute walk for a 20 minute walk. If you usually do a 50 minute HIIT class, complete 20 minutes of 2 HIIT circuits instead. What usually ends up happening is that once you get started, you’ll want to keep going. And even if you don’t, you did 20 minutes instead of 0 minutes. A little something is better than nothing and a little something always goes a long way. 

Outdoor Physical Activity 

Get outside! The outdoors brings a lot to the table that our living rooms cannot.

1. Fresh Air. It’s hard to beat a cool breeze while you’re crushing your workout. And as much as we can open our windows at home, being outside with the fresh air is much more satisfying and inspiring. 
2. Sunlight! There is so much Vitamin D we miss out on while exercising at-home. We’re also playing catch up with the sun from Winter, there’s no harm in getting a head start to our summer glow. Plus workouts are more energizing in the sun, just remember to bring your SPF, we recommend Australian Gold SPF 50 Continuous Spray Sport, which will stay on even if you get a little sweaty!. 
3. Commitment. You make a bigger commitment exercising outdoors in comparison to exercising indoors which means you’ll probably feel less inclined to stop your workout halfway through. 
4. Company. And perhaps the greatest benefit to working out outdoors is we can finally invite our friends and family from different households to join us! So call up your local friends and find a park where you can stay socially distant and get some much needed friend-time in while you work!

Workout Buddy 

Finally, find a consistent workout buddy you can rely on to keep you motivated, virtually or otherwise. It helps to have a workout partner that you can communicate and collaborate with on your workouts. For example, if you feel like taking an online class, ask your workout buddy if they want to join the class as well. It’s also helpful to have a workout buddy to chat through your goals and opportunities that you might need some support with. If you have movement goals or nutrition goals you want to accomplish, your workout partner will be there for you. Two heads are better than one! 

Give those a try and let us know what you’re doing to get your exercise in when you REALLY don’t feel like it!