Feisty cycling expert Gyl Golden is back with her top tips to keep us inspired to get out the door and train hard this winter.

By: Gyl Golden

So it’s that time of year again; the holidays have come and gone and all we are left with is short days, very cold weather, and a lack of motivation to do just about anything. If all you want to do is just stay at home in cozy warmth and eat, I feel your pain. I suffer from occasional depression, and the short days normally trigger it. So when I speak to this subject, understand that I am not someone who is particularly joyful at this time of year. I struggle. It is psychological work for me to get through each winter. For the tips I’m offering, I’ve tried most and many have worked. For those that didn’t work for me, I know they have worked for others. So just choose a few that speak to you and give it a try.

Know that there are no miracles. Motivation is a complicated concept. We all know what it means, but what motivates each of us as individuals to reach the exact same goal can be vastly different. And in my opinion, we use the word too much and too loosely. I bet if I asked, “Who is motivated to become a millionaire by 2022?” I’m guessing I would get a lot of highly motivated people. But if I were to lay out what it would take to become a millionaire by next year it may be a different story… Who is prepared to put in the hard work, take the risks involved and make the real sacrifices to get it done? Now, I’m betting the list of motivated people has reduced.

Motivation is not equal to results. So once you’ve found that little spark of motivation again, it needs to be nurtured. You have to feed it and you do so through discipline and inspiration. Embrace the rigor in doing the same things that need to happen regularly in order to reach your goals.

Top Tips to Fuel Your Motivation

Strategies to Nudge You out the Door

Appropriate Clothing

“There is no such thing as bad weather; it’s about bad clothing choices.” It’s mostly true that with the right clothing to keep you dry and warm – but not too warm – can allow you to enjoy your outdoor sessions. So as it pertains to cycling; cover your head with a thin cap to keep your head warm under your helmet. While it makes me look like an old granny, I make sure the cap covers most of my ears. Obviously, a good pair of gloves is worth the investment but if you find that your hands just don’t get warm enough, put on a pair of thin rubber gloves, like the ones the hairdresser uses, underneath you cycling pair. It would be the same for your toes. You can use toe covers or wear plastic baggies over your socks inside of your shoes. Again, it’s well worth the money to invest in a windproof jacket. The word “windproof” is key. If it’s too heavy, it may feel great starting out but you’ll be too warm after 30 minutes, and that is no fun. It’s the cold wind you want to block while wicking away moisture.

Have Everything Laid out and Set up

I saw a quote that said, “I try to work out early in the morning before my brain figures out what I’m doing.” While that’s not exactly where I’m going, in this case, try to have absolutely everything ready for your next session so that you don’t even have to think or make a decision. The biggest obstacle is always your brain telling you all the reasons why you don’t need to do something or can’t get something done. So when getting ready to either go out the door or get on the treadmill or trainer, don’t think too much just get started. Having everything ready the night before helps because then there are no choices to be made, and no excuses.

Goals, Plans, and Follow Through

Set Winter Goals

Impactful goals are essential in all areas of life if you want to enhance performance, fuel motivation and reach success. I’ve found that big goals that get you excited (and a little scared) are the most effective for stoking motivation. If you already have a giant goal like racing an Ironman this summer; great! Work towards that goal. But if that still isn’t lighting a fire under your buns to get out of bed, go smaller. For now, think of little goals to get you through the winter. Why not just work on improving your 5 km run time? Or on the bike, focus on lengthening the amount of time that you can stay in your sweet spot zone. How about honing in on developing a stronger back? Or work on your bike handling skills if you’re able to ride outside.

Make a Plan

Once you’ve got your goals set, draw up a plan. The internet is loaded with training plans and ideas to help you reach your goal. Be mindful however that you should have a goal for each training session as well. I’m assuming that if one lacks motivation, shorter sessions are the most desirable. If that’s the case then be sure to have a plan. Spinning aimlessly on the trainer isn’t going to get you much for performance results. Have a plan for every session in order to use your time efficiently and maximize results.

Join or Create a Challenge

Social media is now bombarded with challenges. They are definitely fun to do but it’s easy to do too much. Look for something that is in line with either your winter goals or longer term goals such as a summer race. So for example, if you were to go for the “Improve my 5 km time”, you will probably find training plans and challenges that already exist. Maybe you use a plan that will help you meet a given challenge. Whatever the case, don’t choose a challenge just for the sake of doing a challenge. There should be a desired outcome and it should be congruent with your objectives. What do you want to accomplish? For example, I’ve seen a 30 day run challenge where you run every day for 30 days. Don’t do that, well, unless you’ll be doing a multi-day ultra-running event of some sort and it’s something you do. Whatever the case, find a challenge that will help you build on what you’ve done to reach a particular goal.

Get into a Routine

Now that you have goals and a plan, perhaps a challenge, it’s time to plan your week. I know that if you need motivation, maybe a strict regimen is not going to help you get out of bed. Fine, what will get you out of bed and on the bike or get moving? For me, it’s looking forward to a delicious cup of hot coffee first thing in the morning. And well okay, I keep the TRX straps up near the kitchen so that as I’m preparing the coffee, I’m doing squats in between. You can’t really go back to bed after doing 75 to 100 squats. So a routine doesn’t have to be strict. It just has to have some little rituals that you either love or that you know will work for you. It could be a treat you always give yourself after a session is done or even a little treat during your session that you look forward to. For an example, it could be a coffee stop at a café along your training route, or music that gets you stoked on the trainer.

And of course, a routine isn’t a routine without time. Getting up at the same time every day and doing similar things daily within a time slot is setting you up for a habit. I stumbled upon the 21/90 rule which is to commit to a goal for 21 days and it becomes a habit. Once the habit is established continue on for 90 days. I think the days could be debatable, but just a month of consistent commitment can create a habit.

Train With A Friend

Having an accountability partner (or partners) can help. This works especially if you’re around the same training level. Having a buddy with similar goals as you can help foster motivation. Most of us don’t like to let people down, knowing that someone is waiting for you at a specific time and place will help get you out the door. Plus, the time passes quickly with healthy social interaction.

Strength Training

One of the best ways to avoid summer injury is to build more muscle. Now is an excellent time to get back to strength training. If gyms are closed you don’t need much equipment to get strong at home. I would say three different size kettlebells are enough and you can find loads of videos on YouTube to get you started. Developing more muscle and feeling stronger may also motivate you to get back outside sooner as well. Try to change your perspective; don’t see winter as a depressing time when you can’t get out to do the things you love. See it as a time to focus like a laser on your weaknesses.

Cross Training

One of the reasons I love triathlon is that you can always alternate activities. But if pools are closed and you have the same lack of motivation for running as you do for cycling then do a different sport or an exercise class for 4 to 6 weeks that you enjoy. Crossfit, aerobic classes, kickboxing, dance, etc. can be done online now and for free or mostly free. Consider this; you might actually be having difficulty finding motivation because you are physically and/or mentally tired of the swim, bike, run, routine. Yeah, I know, some of you will just think this is crazy talk but maybe you really just need a break from that to change your ideas, perspective and get some rest. Doing a fun exercise class may be just what you need to redevelop your love for training again.

Try Something New

Try a New Sport

Actually, a rule you should follow regularly is to try something new. In this case though, sure, try a new sport. Or dare I even say, try a winter sport; something you’ve always been curious to try. I’ve mostly always hated winter until I was living in New Mexico and discovered cross country skiing. Fine, winter is still my least favorite season but shaking hands with the “devil” helped me appreciate it much more and now I am more open to winter sports. Trying new things can help us to develop new ideas.

Get a Shiny New Gadget

Some people tend to get motivated once they have fun new gear to use. If you are one of those people then try out some of the latest high tech winter gear. But notice I said “winter gear”. If you buy gear that you can use year round then there’s no reason not to put off training until spring, right? The idea is to create a little urgency.

Try a Training App

The list of options is growing but joining platforms such as Zwift can help the time fly while you’re on the trainer. It’s a useful tool and can make your evening rides enjoyable but remember it’s just one tool. Sooner or later we have to climb out of our caves and get back outside.

Join a Club

Yes, I know it’s COVID time but a lot of groups still get together virtually, and there are also group rides on platforms just like Zwift. This is the time when people can feel isolated so something as simple as a short training session with people can help. Also, it’s great to surround yourself with like-minded people and possibly make new friends!

Get a Coach

Hiring a coach is a big financial commitment, but it is absolutely worth it if you are psychologically committed to your goals and you are prepared to follow your coach’s instructions. It’s at moments like these when a coach can help you through. A good coach can provide you with well targeted training plans and sessions, educate you on training methods, nutrition and gear available. Personalized training plans can help you maximize the time you have available and, if followed correctly, can help you avoid injury as well as burn-out. A good coach will hold you accountable and do her best to motivate you. She is your “go-to” expert when you have questions or concerns, and she’ll help you build a plan to focus on races and events.

All that said, as the old saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.” You could have the best coach ever but if you don’t do the work, or if you modify the plan to your liking and pretty much do whatever you want, you will not see the results. So ask yourself, “Are you prepared to take instructions, follow the plan and trust the coach?” before you put down the money. If yes, then go for it. Like all things, you get out of it what you put into it.

All of these ideas can help get you started, but the journey is long and relentless. A pro triathlete once said, “If I only trained when I felt like it I’d probably only train once a week.” We will all struggle with motivation but in the end it is about doing what needs to be done whether we feel like it or not. Come up with huge goals that get you excited and that can quite possibly lead you to a driven focused winter.

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Follow Gyl Golden on Facebook and Instagram @ironwomanfortheocean and check out her coaching page at goldentriathloncoaching.com and Golden Triathlon Coaching on Facebook.

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