Finding yourself feeling less and less motivated to workout now the festive season is here? We feel you… oh do we feel you! There’s something about the combination of wrapping up the last few weeks of the year, finalising christmas deadlines, organising the ocado, planning christmas presents, indulging (and rightly so) in christmas delights that just make you want to slump! BUT… it’s so important to keep moving during this busy time. Movement is going to help you so much with balancing indulgences and also keeping your mental health in good order too. You’re just going to feel so much better if you can keep your activity levels up, no matter any other health habits that get pushed to the side. Here are 5 ways to beat the festive slump!

Find an app to get you started
If you’ve avoided fitness during the festive season, then stepping into your local studio or workout class can feel very daunting! There are some great apps out there that allow you to keep fit in the comfort of your home. Particularly handy if you’re visiting family who live in the middle of nowhere! Here are our favourite on-demand fitness platforms we really rate, whatever workout style you love or fitness level you’re at.

Get outside and get some headspace
Richmond Park, Hampstead Heath, Wimbledon Common, Greenwich Park – wherever it might be, walking or running outside is one of our favourite ways to get moving. No matter what the weather, for us, nothing is better than wrapping up warm and taking a deep breath of fresh air. London might be bursting at the seams with things to do at every turn but there are also some amazing green spaces – grab that bobble hat and go explore them!

Warm up with some yoga
Whether you’re bending and flowing with some vinyasa or wrapping up with some yin, yoga will both energise and calm the body – perfect for the madness of the Christmas season. If you’re feeling tired and run down, a slow meditative yin or restorative yoga will be perfect but if you’re looking to get a sweat on then try an ashtanga or a rocket yoga class. Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube is our fave for a cost-effective option and she’s got lots of cosy flows for warming up, easing digestion and boosting energy.

Make sure you’ve got a cracking playlist on standby!
Whilst some look forward to their daily run with great anticipation, for others, it is the last thing they feel like doing, especially after a Home Alone marathon and a belly full of mince pies! However, creating the ultimate workout playlist has been proven to motivate us in a number of ways and studies show that our choice of music is integral to maintaining and even upping the intensity of our workouts. Dr Costas Karageorghis, deputy head of the School of Sport and Education at Brunel University, London, said “a suitably motivational playlist can help to ‘colour’ symptoms of exercise-related fatigue, like breathlessness and a beating heart, in such a way that they are interpreted in a more positive manner.”

Get inspired again
Throwing on some activewear and hoping for the best MIGHT work sometimes, but if you’re in a fitness rut and haven’t touched a dumbbell over the festive season, then that’s probably not enough to get your going! You need to get inspired again. Start absorbing fitness and wellness content, reading your favourite digital content platforms (hello, we’re here!) follow some fresh fitness pages on social (there are so many to choose from!) or even download a few podcasts to get you in the zone. This will really help get you motivated and hopefully you’ll find brushing off the winter cobwebs much easier.

READ MORE: Christmas Stress – How To “Let It Go” And Find Balance