The days are short, the temperatures are decidedly uncozy. It’s no wonder movement tends to slow down in the winter. Despite the urge to burrow down, our bodies and minds still need movement to function at their best. If your normal workout routine isn’t serving you right now, try a few of these tips to get back on track.
How to Keep Your Body Moving
- Enlist a partner in crime. Grab your spouse, your bestie or your kiddos. Set a goal and commit to it – together!
- Find inspiration on YouTube. Entire communities exist online to help you feel good in your body. Whether you’re a yoga lover, a weight lifter or an indoor walker, there’s motivation waiting behind the screen that you can do from your living room.
- Utilize daylight hours. Make long walks on your days off a non-negotiable. Get outside during your lunch break and walk to lunch, to your errands or simply around the parking lot.
- Have the right gear for cold weather. If your running routine falls off as the temperatures drop, consider making adjustments to your workout clothes. Do you need a moisture-wicking base layer? Warmer gloves? A lightweight jacket that easily ties around your waist as you warm up? Investing in a few key pieces can change the game of outdoor exercise.
- Expand your definition of exercise. Sure, maybe an hour in the gym makes it feel more like you ‘did something.’ But don’t underestimate the effects that vacuuming, putting boxes into storage or playing in the snow with your kids can have on your wellbeing.
- Knock out your exercise first thing in the morning. Your willpower muscle is strongest when you first wake up, so do the thing you have the most resistance to first. Not only will you benefit from the exercise, you’ll also be more likely to tackle harder things throughout your day after you accomplish this big task first.
- Set a personal goal for your winter wellbeing. Research shows that writing down your goals makes you more likely to accomplish them. So, make a chart to log the miles you walk toward a seasonal goal. Or aim for working out a certain number of times per week. Whatever your goal, make sure that it’s both attainable as well as pushes you a little bit.
Choose a tip or two to focus and see if that changes your winter movement habits. Stay consistent and before you know it, spring will be here.
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