How to stay motivated on a fitness journey during winter in Japan

Winter is cold. It is often rainy or even snowy. It is most often miserable outside. But don’t let the lack of sunlight and warmth make you miserable too. Keep yourself going by keeping yourself on a fitness path, or start your fitness journey now. The beginning of winter, and in a foreign country may seem like a bad decision, but if you get in the right groove, you can stay there and slide all the way back to summer. Here are a few things to get you and keep you in that groove of getting fit in Japan.

1. Go outside. I get it. It is hella flipping cold. But just do it. Once you are outside, you will only have the choice but to move your body. After only a few mins of running or biking, your body will warm up and you will be good to go. Maybe while you are still inside, do a few squats and jumping jacks to get you out the door. Once your Body is warm, you will want to de-layer, so prep wisely.

2. Invest in the right clothes. Lightweight fleece is great at keeping you warm even when damp, so fleece gloves and scarves/earmuffs are a must. Japanese love staying active and having the gear to go with it. Invest in it and your motivation to use it will boost the amount you go out. Sports stores sell all kinds of activewear, and if you are like me and don't fit, you can order online. But just because you can't find specialty gear doesn't mean you can't make do with what you can find. I ran in jeans my first year getting active. Do have multiple workout clothes. If you are like the 90 percent of people in Japan, you rely on the sun to dry your laundry. Having about 3 sets of workout clothing is necessary in winter because it'll probably take 2 days to dry properly when it's rainy.

3. Do what you can inside. Japanese apartments are tiny, but you don't need very much space to get a full workout. I have a son and taking him outside isn't practical when it's cold and rainy. The best thing I decided to do was Instagram. Lazy girl challenges , Fit girls guide etc. I even won one of the challenges. And all I did was follow the recommended daily workouts. I never even had to step outside or change my schedule. I just did the challenge workouts throughout the day while watching my son in my apartment.

4. Utilize local facilities. There are so many places you can use that are free or at least cheaper than most gyms. Check out the local community centers. Some even have training equipment that can be rented, rooms for basketball or other sports, or swimming pools where you can exercise and not have to worry about how much you sweat.  

5. Don't get down because you cant. Just do what you can. Getting out of a misery rut is the hardest part of working out in winter. Especially living abroad. If you just really aren't feeling it, then take a day to take care of yourself. Call home, take a bath, do a self-care day of Netflix and chill with hot tea and a snuggie. Remind yourself that it's ok to rest, but then go out. Go back to number one on this list.