This time of year, a lot of folks are throwing themselves into a new workout routine, but what if that “New Year, new you” thing isn’t enough to get you ready to sweat it out? It can be a struggle to find the motivation to exercise any time, but during the cold, short days of winter?
Here are some tips and tricks to help you keep moving:
-
This is your brain on the couch – It turns out, sitting all day and not interacting with people while we work from home can affect our brain chemistry. “We’re not getting serotonin and dopamine and oxytocin through our brain tissue, so it’s kind of like blowing our emotional reward endorphin system,” Mundinger explains. But when we exercise, it gets those feel-good hormones flowing and the best part? It doesn’t have to be a marathon workout to work.
-
Get on the floor – Something as low-key as some floor stretches can release those hormones and help move “that sludgy lymphatic fluid” out, and that promotes a healthy immune system.
-
Bribe yourself – Use things you want and enjoy to motivate yourself to get moving and as long as you’re making healthy food choices most of the time, even snacks and treats make good rewards.
