It’s November 2020 and Toronto has just gone back into lockdown due to Covid-19. It would be easy, and completely understandable, for this to derail your fitness with gyms closed, run clubs cancelled, as well as races worldwide continuing to be postponed, cancelled or changing to virtual. Nobody would blame you at all if you wanted to spend the next month baking banana bread, having virtual quizzes with your friends and family, or partaking in marathon Netflix sessions. Nope, not at all – in fact these sound awesome! Here’s a plant-based banana bread recipe that I absolutely love!

But you can do all of the above and not give up on the hard work you’ve put in to your current fitness goals or routine. If this latest lockdown has derailed things for you, then here are my top 5 tips to help keep you motivated.

Find an accountability buddy – I was part of a Lululemon webinar recently where the facilitator said that if you tell someone your goal/dream then you are 95% more likely to stick to it than if you had kept it to yourself. That’s a crazy stat! And heck, even if it isn’t true, it’s worth giving it a try – right?! So who in your circle of friends or family could be your accountability buddy? Perhaps you could both hold each other accountable; you both don’t need to have the same fitness/lifestyle/personal goal for this to succeed. And hey, if you don’t have someone that you can work with during Covid, reach out to me – I’ll for sure help keep you accountable (even if I’m not your coach).

Virtual workout challenge or race – Have you noticed the increase in virtual challenges and races recently? There are SO many right now, it seems almost everyone on my social media feed is doing something cool. Whether it’s a virtual race, or walking/running/planking every day for 30 days, or completing different fitness activities to collect badges; whatever you are interested in there is likely a challenge already set up, give it a google. I know personally when I sign up to something, when I’ve actually paid $ for it, I am 100% going to complete it (even more so if there is some cute swag/merch)!

Stick to a training plan – Whether you create one yourself, find a free one online, or work with a coach to create a custom training plan for you, this is a great way to keep focused. Print the plan off and stick it to your fridge as a reminder every time you go in for a snack. I know this motivates me so much, especially when I see all the bright pink ticks (I love me some cute fun stationery) knowing I’ve crushed a workout.

Try something new to mix up your usual fitness program – Now with gyms closed it isn’t as easy to try something new….or is it? I recently took a virtual yoga class and I bloomin’ loved it! It challenged me so much more than if I would have done it by myself, and an added bonus is supporting a small business during these difficult times. The studio I ‘went’ to was Kardia – I’d defo recommend checking out the Flow Yoga with the wonderful Heather.

Set a goal that is just out of reach – Have you ever taken part in a race and spotted a runner up ahead that you set your eyes on to pass? You have your sights set on this person and you slowly, slowly, slowly get closer until you can finally pass them. Do this, without the race and without the runner! Set yourself a fitness target goal (could be distance, pace, repetitions, whatever); one that is just out of reach that it’s a stretch and will keep you motivated, but is not so far out of reach that it demotivates you further. And once you crush that goal, then set another one (find another runner up ahead!).

My intention for this blog was to inspire and hopefully motivate you to keep up with your fitness, but please, do what’s right for you during this stressful time. If you need a break from working out, then you do you, listen to your body. Take care x