Motivation for winter training - Step 1: Getting out of bed

Winter is a tough time to train. Not necessarily because of the cold and wind and rain, but because it is the hardest time of the year to get motivated. When you go to train with you club you are feeling obligated, which is often enough to get you out of your seat. Game-days are easy, the adrenaline and excitement of a competitive game is what you live for. But what about the times in between? Those extra sessions that give you the edge. And what about the sports people who go solo, who aren’t part of a team but and still need to train, be it just for fitness, fun, or for a competition? Here are our motivational tips to get you moving through the winter, starting at the beginning of the day: Getting Out Of Bed . Step One – Getting out of bed It has to be done every day and it requires very little physical exertion, but getting out of bed on a winter morning can feel like the biggest hurdle you will face that day. So here are 5 tips to get you up and at’em every morning feeling ready for the day ahead. 1. Beat the darkness Light stimulates the brain to wake you up. When you force your body awake on a dark morning, you are fighting against the brains chemical reactions to the lack of light making you feel groggy and sleepy. To counter this you could invest in a bedside lamp that simulates a natural sunrise. Search for a “Dawn Simulator” or a “WakeUp Light”. 2. Motivational Alarm Changing your alarm sound to play one of your favourite upbeat, motivational songs is a great way to get you going in the morning. Get an alarm that requires you to perform a task to turn it off. Those novelty alarms where you have to shoot a target to stop the buzzer are a great way to stimulate the brain and wake your body up. If you have a smart phone, there are 100s of apps where you have to solve a puzzle or a problem to turn your alarm off. A simpler way would be to leave your alarm on the other side of your bedroom, forcing you to get out of bed and walk to turn the alarm off. 3. Make it warm outside the bed This one is simple: If it is cold in your bedroom but warm under the duvet it is going to take a huge amount of will power to get yourself out of bed. Set your heating to come on an hour before your alarm is due to go off. This will warm your room to a more comfortable temperature. 4. Warm your clothes Put your gym clothes on the radiator before you go to bed at night. It will then become a pleasure to put on your gym kit on a cold morning. 5. Dunk it It’s a classic, but it works: dunking your head under cold water, or jumping into a cold shower is a quick-fire way to wake your body up. This requires extra motivation to psych yourself into actually doing it, but it will result in feeling fresh and awake and ready for the day.