Exercising during cold weather after getting off track

bleepboop8422
bleepboop8422 Posts: 21 Member
edited December 8 in Fitness and Exercise
I need some advice from the winter gym bunnies out there. I live in the northeast of the US and it’s been super cold and dark recently. Weather has been in the 20s (in Fahrenheit, around -5 Celsius).

I was getting into a pattern going to the gym, but going home for thanksgiving threw a bit of a wrench in my habits. Then I got a bad cold, and I realized that it’s almost been a month since I’ve been to the gym.

How do you guys get motivated to go to the gym when it’s cold? When I get home from work at 7 and it’s cold and dark I feel so unmotivated. I tried waking up early to go and I can’t bring myself to get out of bed. Any tips for when you’ve fallen off track with your exercise habits?

Thanks in advance! Any advice is much appreciated :)

Replies

  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
    Could you try changing your routine to incorporate home workouts, so you don't have to go back out into cold, dark night? I'm not sure what your goals are, but there are a variety of free workout routines on youtube, or you could make your own rotations to do at home.

    Better to move at all and keep a semblance of routine, than to lose all momentum due to current conditions and self-imposed rule that exercise must be at a gym. Find something that works for you during this part of year =)
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    yukfoo wrote: »
    I take my gear and go directly from work so I have no excuses...

    Me too. I pack my gym bag every day just as I do my lunch and whatever else I need for the day. I consider my workout as part of my work day. It only gets skipped for emergencies or illness.

    In fact in the winter I look forward more to going to the gym because it's the only time all day I can get warm. Plus I reward myself with 15 min. or so in the sauna afterwards. That generally keeps my core temperature warm enough until I can get home to a hot shower.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited December 2018
    My gym is heated...I bring my gear to work with me and go afterwards. If I went home after work, I'd never get to the gym regardless of the weather...once I'm home, I'm home.

    Cycling is another matter. I don't spend nearly as much time on my bike in the winter because it's typically cold and dark at the times I can ride. I get on my indoor trainer a couple of days per week and try to get in a good road or trail ride on a nice weekend afternoon once it's warmed up a bit.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    It's easy for me as I'm a morning person and all of my workouts (with the exception of swimming) are at home. My main activity is running and being a crazy Canadian I love running in the winter. You can always add another layer, in the summer you can only take off so much without getting arrested.

    I have a C2 rowing machine at home and my bike is on a trainer so I can ride all year 'round. Weights are in the (unheated) garage, the bar gets pretty cold but I only strength train a couple of times a week as cross training.

    If I were going to a gym I'd either go before work or directly after, I get the short hours of sunlight being a drag though. It's 4:36 and almost completely dark here.....
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    I'm in Wisconsin close to the lake so in a similar situation. I learned to enjoy the suck. I bought some better thermal gear and keep the running going. For the gym it's heated and all I have to do is walk a few steps from a heated car to a heated building and back. Actually learned to love the cold - feels good after an intense workout.

    One trainer told me "The hardest thing you'll find is getting here." Man she was right. The human brain will come up with a myriad of excuses to not go, but once you're there you just go through the motions.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I work out three days a week at 5:30am so the morning thing isn't necessarily going to help you. That said, I make sure everything is ready to go the day before. In my case that means having my workout clothes set out, change of clothes in my backpack, and whatever I need for school in the bag and ready. It means I don't have to do much thinking the day of and minimizes the chances of me forgetting to bring something.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    I call the time change in fall.. "the darkness." It affects my mood and patterns, so, I understand what you are saying. I don't know your life or routine..but for me? I use the daylight to motivate me to do what I will not do when it is dark. Does that make sense? Maybe you can switch your gym time to lunch..or sometime during the daylight when motivation comes natural.
  • garystrickland357
    garystrickland357 Posts: 598 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    I'm in Wisconsin close to the lake so in a similar situation. I learned to enjoy the suck. I bought some better thermal gear and keep the running going. For the gym it's heated and all I have to do is walk a few steps from a heated car to a heated building and back. Actually learned to love the cold - feels good after an intense workout.

    One trainer told me "The hardest thing you'll find is getting here." Man she was right. The human brain will come up with a myriad of excuses to not go, but once you're there you just go through the motions.

    This^^^ The hardest part for me is getting out the door. I run early (5:30AM) twice a week - I can sustain that. I can't/won't do that every day. Twice during the work week I exercise after work. On the weekends I exercise however it fits into what's going on. @CSARdiver is also right about clothes. Buy clothes that match the conditions and you can exercise comfortably even in really cold conditions.
  • bleepboop8422
    bleepboop8422 Posts: 21 Member
    Thanks for everyone’s advice! I usually wear really cheap clothes for exercise, and actually never before thought about investing into some thermal wear! My gym is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment and making that walk as cozy as possible will make working out way more appealing. Plus I liked hearing about all the ways you guys make working out another part of your schedule. I think I’ll try as much as possible to decrease the activation energy required to get myself to the gym. I don’t even need to go that often really, just 2x a week to keep on track with my strength training. I can do cardio at home.

    I think @CSARdiver said it best - my brain is the only thing preventing me from hitting my goals. I’m gonna do my best to stop making excuses and just get out there and do what’s right for my health!
  • FaileAybara
    FaileAybara Posts: 21 Member
    I walk down by the river every morning with the dog for my exercise. I have purchased thermal pants, wool socks, waterproof boots and a fleece neckwarmer that I can bring up over my nose. I wear Bose headphones over my ears and with my coat hood that keeps my head toasty. I want to add ski glasses and snowshoes as the winter progresses. So far it has been good for me and the dog :-)
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    "How do you guys get motivated to go to the gym when it’s cold? When I get home from work at 7 and it’s cold and dark I feel so unmotivated. I tried waking up early to go and I can’t bring myself to get out of bed. Any tips for when you’ve fallen off track with your exercise habits?"..."I was getting into a pattern going to the gym,"

    What did you do to get started in the first place? Repeat. You're going to do what you want, or what you feel is necessary. If you want to go to the gym, or feel that going to the gym is necessary, you'll do it. If you don't want to, or don't feel that it is necessary, how are we to help? Do it if you want, don't if you don't.
  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,380 Member
    bleepboop8422 wrote: »
    Thanks for everyone’s advice! I usually wear really cheap clothes for exercise, and actually never before thought about investing into some thermal wear! My gym is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment and making that walk as cozy as possible will make working out way more appealing. !
    Yes, making sure you are comfortable on the way there will for sure help! :+1:

    When I started running, I didn't like it very much at first; (and it was in February, so cold and dark was a given too, very tempting to stay inside). The secret for me to make sure I did it was to do it right away after getting home from work, so I came up with a "no sitting down before training" rule for myself. Otherwise, I would come back from work, decide I was exhausted and sit down "for 15min to recover a bit first"; or think of other things I wanted to do, like "just quickly look at that start-to-run training plan online one more time". And then I'd spend the entire evening on the couch... If I never sat down in the first place, it was much easier to go outside again :)



  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I don't want to leave the house after dark this time of year to do errands, let alone go to the gym. I have a home gym now, but when I had a membership I forced myself. Like others have said, hardest part was getting out the door.

    I bundle up and get my cardio outside at lunch. I'm currently sawing up the branches of a huge pine tree that fell on a trail in the woods behind my house.

    Loving all the pictures on this thread!
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    Its tough to leave a perfectly good bed but I just get out and go. My winter temp is usually between 25 and 35 so its not too bad. My bonus is this gym is on my running route so every other day I stop in for a Nautilus set on my way back home. Running is my warm up.
  • FatGuyFatBike
    FatGuyFatBike Posts: 8 Member
    I find it hard to run now, so I switched to a fat bike and love it! I have recently rejoined MFP, so please feel free to add me as a friend. Stay warm out there this winter.
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