Credits: Social Media
How I stay motivated to exercise during winter evenings, even when it’s dark by 5pm
The nights don’t feel like they are getting any shorter, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait until Spring to do the exercise you love.
If, like me, you live somewhere where it’s dark and cold for what feels like six months a year, then you’ll know how hard it can be to keep yourself active. Whether it’s a cold morning before school or college, or a dark, dismal evening after work, dragging yourself out the door can feel like an impossible task when the light nights of Spring and Summer feel like a lifetime away.
But the activity of pulling yourself away from your bed and out towards a track or a gym is often the hardest part. While there’s no entirely foolproof plan for getting everybody out there during Winter, I’ve collated some of the best pieces of advice that have been passed on to me, all of which help to keep me motivated enough to exercise even when it’s dark out at 5pm.
Prepare yourself the night before
While my first tip may sound rather trivial, I promise you it’s one of the single most important things that I live by during the winter months.
We’ve all done it. You’ve planned on going out on a run, or heading off to the gym as soon as you come home in the evening.
Yet, once you arrive home, safe from the busy commute or a cold walk home, nothing looks more appealing than the couch, or your warm bed.
And while my couch or my bed may still look appealing, laying out exactly what I need to take out with me or change into has saved me from the allure of my Playstation on countless occasions – prompting me to guilt-trip myself into heading outside out of fear of the shameful feeling that comes along with sitting next to a pile of dejected workout clothes, playing FIFA.
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Link up with your friends
Sometimes the hardest thing about exercising is the lonely nature of it all, especially if you don’t play a team sport.
As a runner myself, the days in which I don’t have training and am forced to keep myself occupied on the roads are the hardest.
With a friend or a small group, however, it’s a different story. Getting out and enjoying the fresh air with a like-minded group is such a difference maker, and can turn an often dreaded activity into something you can look forward to while at work.
Moreover, if you’re outside in the dark, moving with a group is far safer, giving you an added piece of mind about getting home incident-free.
Connect with people online
If you are unable to get out and exercise with people in your area, why not try reaching out to your friends on one of the various social media-style exercising apps?
While comparing yourself and your personal progress to others is never a good thing, using the likes of Strava to keep up with your friends’ activities can be inspiring and provide helpful insight into how they are tackling exercise during tricky weather conditions.
Like most runners, I’m addicted to Strava. And on days where I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do less than run, seeing what my friends are up to and the thought of getting that congratulatory ‘Kudos’ is quite often the motivation I need to tie up my laces and brace the cold.
Set a target and make a detailed plan
Along with Winter comes a lot of change to our regular routines and habits, often making it harder to plan ahead and train for our bigger-picture goals.
What I find to be helpful, however, is setting myself a goal or a challenge, preferably for the future when the days are a little longer, and using winter to work towards it.
For example, I am currently training for the Barcelona Half Marathon in February, which has forced me to use December and January to get my fitness up – despite it being a busy few weeks with the Christmas festivities and university exams.
Looking ahead to the warmer months, where it will undoubtedly be easier to get outside and do whatever it is you love doing, is a great way to motivate yourself to put the work in now, so it’s a little bit easier come Spring.
There are tangible benefits to exercising in the cold
If my top tips still aren’t making you think about swapping the slippers for the sneakers, then maybe the top minds at Harvard University will.
According to sports medicine expert Dr. Adam Tenforde, there are several advantages to getting yourself out there in sub-optimal conditions.
For one, Tenforde claims, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard. If you exercise during the cold, you will “sweat less, and expend less energy”, meaning your body will actually work more efficiently than it would in warm temperatures.
Additionally, Tenforde notes that exposing yourself to outside conditions can be vital when staving off seasonal depression, an affective disorder many people often suffer from during the Winter.
Of course, always make sure to take all the necessary precautions when exercising in the cold and/or in the dark. Be sure to wrap up warm with several layers, and always heed safety warnings about low temperatures, snow and ice.
Above all, remember that exercise is a break from the things you don’t like doing, and should be enjoyed as such!
