I'm an Olympian and this is how I motivate myself to work out in winter
As an Olympic athlete, you'd be forgiven for thinking that sprinter Colin Jackson has no trouble leaping out of bed for a training session, but in an exclusive chat with HELLO!, he revealed he's just like us when it comes to lacking motivation in the winter.
The Olympian, who is working withWings For Life, shared his foolproof way of finding motivation when you really don't want to work out.
"In the summertime, it's very easy to go out because the days are long and the sun is shining so you want to be more active, but in the wintertime, the days are dark and dull, it is difficult and even when sport was my life, it was really difficult, get out there," Colin admits.
"When you get up in the morning and it's dark, you go to work, you work all day and you come back from work and it's dark again.
Colin has two hacks for fitting in exercise during winter, read on for his stellar advice.
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1. Do something you enjoy
"It doesn't always have to be something hyper-energetic - you can go for a nice, easy, gentle walk rather than a 10 KM run, it's just the getting outside and seeing the sun, which is a great experience.
"Just make sure it's something that you will enjoy, so it becomes part of a lifestyle and something you look forward to.
"If exercise becomes part of your lifestyle, you look forward to doing and you don't just get home and sit in front of the TV.
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"Don't make exercise feel like something that you feel you have to do. It's got to be something that you want to do so it doesn’t feel like a chore."
2. Find a workout buddy
"I'm quite social, so I always try and find activities that suit my social activities such as a group session, Colin explains.
He goes on to share that having people rely on us is key to finding the motivation to work out.
"When people are expecting you to be at training, at a specific time, all of a sudden that burden goes on you to not let others down.
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"When exercise has a community feel, you're sharing an experience with somebody.
"When people get together, they really encourage each other to do so much better and achieve great things."
Wings for Life aims to find a cure for spinal chord injuries. On May 5, 2024 the Wings For Life Run invites people to run, roll or walk as far as you can to raise money. Participants are chased by a moving finish line - once overtaken, you are a finisher!
