Peloton Instructor Adrian Williams Meditates Lying Down in the Shower: 'The Sound of the Water Steadies the Mind'  

Peloton's Adrian Williams stresses the importance of mind, body and being kind to yourself as the new year gets underway

Photo: Courtesy Peloton

Adrian Williams is known for his killer strength, tread and cardio workouts, but the Peloton instructor also recognizes that being fit goes beyond the body.

"Movement doesn't have to be cycling, running, strength," the trainer tells PEOPLE. "It's not always the physical aspect, the mental aspect is also so important."

A fan of yoga and meditation, William, 38, incorporates both into his routine. "Mindfulness is a big thing for me," he says. "Meditation is something I like to do in the morning when I wake up and then as I am coming down at the end of my day."

His favorite place to meditate is in the shower — horizontally. "I lie down completely. I do a 5-minute guided meditation and then I get up and scrub," he says. "It's one of the most calming things you can do, because you're so focused. The shower, the sound of the water, steadies your mind."

To jumpstart the mind and body (out of the shower!), Williams suggests people pick a workout they think they might enjoy. That's his approach as well: "I want to laugh, have a good time, enjoy the music," he says. "Connect to something that might be really easy for you — your body will remember that and start to crave it."

Also helpful when rebooting your fitness strategy: setting tangible goals, keeping a journal of your progress and being kind to yourself, he says.

Courtesy Peloton

"Say you wanted to work out 2-3 days this week and just hit two? It's okay that you didn't hit that third day. There's another week. It doesn't mean you have to change your nutrition because you didn't get that workout in. I've heard people say, 'Oh, I didn't work out five days this week, I can't have that pizza, I can't drink this wine.' That's ridiculous. You have to live with room to flex."

Even Williams admits he struggles with motivation once in a while. But he doesn't let it keep him down. "I do the thing that I like most," he says. "If I'm like, I'm not into this workout today, I'll do something I know will make me feel good, whether that's an easy run or something stationary like a push/pull strength workout."

Even if it's just 20 minutes or two moves, he says it's worth it: "It makes me feel good because I know I still did something, even if it wasn't the macro picture of what I wanted to do."

Looking ahead, Williams says he doesn't have any particular fitness goals other than "move the way I do for the rest of my life." That takes more than hard workouts, he says, but also tissue release, stretching, strength training, building bone density and maintaining muscle mass. "Mobility is king."

Courtesy Peloton

Ultimately he encourages everyone to give themselves grace.

"The journey is massive," he says. "People always think that youth means fitness, but you can age well and still continue to grow in terms of your own athletic abilities. I am the most athletic that I have ever been in my life and I am 38."

He adds: "Life's really short — enjoy the things you do, enjoy the movement that you choose to do."

For more from Adrian Williams, pick up a copy of this week's PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday