Maintaining Motivation in December
By Nicole Griffin.
The other day it was freezing in Chattanooga. One of those rude, fast-forward moments where fall skips the slow fade and suddenly you’re standing in winter. I needed to dig out my heavier coats, so I went searching through the big storage bin in my closet.
The first thing I pulled out was a plain black waterproof coat. Warm enough, practical enough, but it didn’t spark anything in me. No excitement, no energy. So I kept digging.
That’s when I found it, my faux-fur winter coat. The one I usually save for special events or costumes. Just seeing it made me smile. It actually made me want to go outside, brave the cold, and be part of the day instead of hiding from it. As I kept sorting through the bin, I found my favorite hat and gloves too. Somehow, having those little comforts made the idea of stepping into the cold suddenly manageable.
That moment reminded me of something important: you can create your own motivation. You can spark it intentionally.
Joy: The First Spark of Motivation
The first way is joy. Find something, anything in your workout routine that makes you look forward to moving your body. It doesn’t have to be big. Maybe it’s a flavored water you love, an electrolyte that feels like a treat, a cute new workout top, or a new FitPass class that you want to try. Maybe it’s choosing a class because your favorite instructor is teaching and you know the music will hit just right. Small sparks matter. They add up. They make you think, I can’t wait to do this.
Preparation: The Second Layer That Makes Consistency Easier
The second piece is preparation. Just like my hat and gloves made the cold feel tolerable, being prepared makes your workout realistic and doable. Set your clothes out the night before. Prep the water bottle. Plan & schedule the class time. If you know you’re going to dinner afterward, prep as much as you can ahead of time so you’re not scrambling or talking yourself out of it. Preparation removes excuses before they even show up.
The cold taught me this: motivation doesn’t have to be dramatic. It can be created, encouraged, and set up in advance. When you combine joy with preparation, consistency becomes a lot less intimidating, and a lot more manageable.
This December, don’t wait for motivation to magically appear. Build it gently, layer by layer, the same way you bundle up before stepping out into the cold.
See you on the leaderboard.
