Motivational diet tips

Just a few pounds to go before you can squeeze yourself into that Christmas party dress? We've teamed up with the lovely folk at Ten pilates to bring you a different motivational fitness tip for every day in November...

1)     Find a workout buddy so you can both push each other to work that little bit harder.

2)     Set an achievable goal....that might be to think ahead to the Christmas party season and that Temperley floor length number you want to wow the room with.

3)     Prioritize your workout - block it out in your diary and treat it like an important meeting which can on no account be missed.

4)     Train early, no one wants to train on dark evenings. 

5)     Sign up for London Marathon in April 2012 (or other sports event) – something that you know you need to train for throughout the winter in order to be in your best shape in time.

6)     To avoid the excuses of ‘it’s too early I don’t want to train’ you need to make things as easy as possible for yourself. Set your alarm and put this on the other side of the room so it makes you get out of bed. Get your workout gear out and ready the night before and place a picture of your goal (that dress or perhaps the celebrity figure you aspire to have) to give you motivation to train.

7)     Make it fun – try something different with your workout that you can enjoy with friends like Dynamic Pilates or Zumba.

8)     Reward yourself with healthy snacks or little gifts – buy that body-con dress you’ve been coveting for the last few months and feel great wearing it!

9)     Get a Personal Trainer – they’ll ensure you reach your goals in a realistic way by matching them to your workout – sometimes it just helps to have someone by your side urging you on!

10)  Book yourself a beach holiday for January/ February and let the thought of that bikini stir you into action.

11) Tell yourself that training in the miserable winter makes you a mentally stronger athlete. In the Madrid World Cup last May, athletes from hotter countries suffered with the rain and cold, whereas us tough Brits stuck it out.

12) Stick to a training plan. Print it out and put it somewhere you will see it so you can't forget. And always have a backup plan in case the weather is just too bad - then you can switch and improve in another area.

13) Do the training that you really enjoy doing in winter and limit it in the summer months: mountain biking, long rides and cross-country runs. A mountain-bike ride will keep you much warmer than road cycling, as well as giving variation in your speed.

14) Winter is the time to work on weaknesses, make changes and try new ideas. Winter training is about flexibility and compromise, so do not set a training programme that does not allow for this.