November Reset: 5 Ways to Stay Motivated to Move

By Matt Hirst, founder and head coach, BLAST Fit

When it’s dark before dinner and the sofa is calling, even a fitness routine you enjoy can be hard to keep up. For Ealing Living, Matt Hirst shares five simple ways to keep moving through November, plus a 10-minute workout you can do at home.

Matt started boxing at 14 and became a personal trainer after serving in the army. The former lead coach at Chelsea Harbour Club founded BLAST Fit in 2021. Based at the Pitshanger FC clubhouse, he coaches small-group personal training, boxing and strength sessions.

Here’s something you won’t hear from most fitness people. Motivation is overrated.

In November, you don’t need more of it. You need fewer decisions standing between you and moving.

Let’s be honest about where we are. It’s dark by half four. The heating’s on, the sofa’s calling and the duvet wins most mornings. If that’s you right now, you’re not lazy. You’re human. Every one of us at BLAST feels the pull to hibernate this time of year, coaches included.

You probably know how it goes. September felt brilliant. New routine, good energy, a few solid weeks. Then the clocks went back. One missed session turned into three and now getting started again feels like climbing a hill.

Motivation follows action. You move and the feeling catches up. So the goal this month is to make moving the easy option.

Five simple ways to do it.

1. Lower the bar, keep the streak

Use the 10-minute rule. Tell yourself you only have to do ten minutes of something, whether it’s a walk, some skipping or a few rounds on the bag. If you still want to stop after ten, stop. You rarely will. Consistency beats intensity every time and a short session done beats a perfect session skipped.

2. Decide the night before

Cold, dark mornings are terrible for decision-making, so make those decisions the night before. Kit by the door. Water bottle filled. Session booked. Once it’s in the diary, it’s an appointment with yourself. And you wouldn’t stand up a mate.

3. Train with other people

Willpower runs out. When your coach knows your name and the person on the next bag asks where you were on Tuesday, turning up gets a lot easier. That’s why community sits at the heart of everything we do. Find your crew, whether that’s a class, a running club or a friend who walks with you on a Sunday.

4. Chase the daylight

Winter can leave us feeling flat and light helps. Get outside in the middle of the day if you can, even if it’s just for a 15-minute walk at lunch. It lifts your mood, helps you sleep better and counts as movement. Small win, big return.

5. Set a target for December

Don’t write off the rest of the year and promise yourself a fresh start in January. There are about six weeks until Christmas, which is plenty of time to make real progress. Pick something simple and measurable. Aim to cover a mile in 15 minutes or try the BLAST bodyweight workout below and see if you can beat your rep count from one week to the next.

The BLAST 10-minute bodyweight workout

Spend one minute on each exercise, then repeat the circuit once. For the plank, hold it for as much of the minute as you can. For the other exercises, aim for as many reps as possible (AMRAP) in one minute while keeping good form.