How do you keep motivated in winter

Jules6722
Jules6722 Posts: 2 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Loved the summer for exercising, walking to work and back plus gym 3-4 times a week but as soon as the dark evenings have arrived really struggling to get home and out again to the gym and doing my long walks 😭how do others stay motivated
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Replies

  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
    Exercise definitely drops off for me too, I hate the cold and the long dark days are not conducive to playing outdoors and getting lots of free cardio (long walks, cycling, yard-work). I have been getting better at controlling my calories by eating less than I was able to by eating back my cardio burns. I definitely hit the gym for my weight training just as much though, so it keeps any weight gain at bay.
    Mixed results with indoor cardio like an elliptical, treadmill etc....just not as enjoyable for me.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
    :D Winter used to be my "unintentional bulk cycle." I'd put on 10 lbs and not really care about it, knowing full well that it would come back off with no effort in spring. It's worked for about 20 years now, but the more I understand about fitness and nutrition, the more I understand what is happening and why, though the inclination to change anything is still fairly limited. (If it ain't broke, don't fix it, etc.)
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I usually just think about my goals and what it takes to achieve them. Getting to the gym is absolutely essential for me (unless I'm injured or recovering from birth) so if I want to get where I'm going I better get it done.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,386 Member
    I generally get more time on my elliptical in the winter. Now and then when it's dry and cool/cold I'll get out on the bike, but around here the dark and wet just aren't much fun.

    With the time change, I just hate getting back from work in the dark all the time. I'd much rather go to work at 3am if it gave me some daylight to do what I want when I get home!
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    I do basically the same stuff year round. Instead of yard work like mowing and gardening, I’m shoveling and clearing snow. I can still bring the dogs to the dog park and goof around with them. If it’s too wet out, we can do it inside.

    I have my kettle bells, exercise bands, elliptical, etc. I guess if walking is your main form of exercise, you could still do it, depending on snow, but it definitely wouldn’t be as pleasant.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,214 Member
    I’m rarely motivated to drag myself out of bed to lift before work but I know that’s when it gets done most consistently. It’s less about motivation and more about making it a priority. Also a good example for why reliance on exercise as the only way to create a deficit isn’t the most sustainable methodology
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    I've made fitness a priority so exercise/moving is apart of my daily routine now.

    I mostly do the same things all year round such as working out in my home gym with bands, weights, kettlebells, my Pilates Reformer etc. and doing youtube workouts/ DVD's. I set myself up to be able to workout in my home so that there are no excuses not to workout.

    I can't walk as much as I do compared to the other times of year which I do miss, but I do other activities such as snowshowing and ice skating. Also shoveling snow is a great cardio.

    Early on before the fitness bug truly hit me I just got it done and out the way first thing in the morning. It was much, much better then being overweight and the little progress that was being made inspired me to keep going.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    :D Winter used to be my "unintentional bulk cycle." I'd put on 10 lbs and not really care about it, knowing full well that it would come back off with no effort in spring. It's worked for about 20 years now, but the more I understand about fitness and nutrition, the more I understand what is happening and why, though the inclination to change anything is still fairly limited. (If it ain't broke, don't fix it, etc.)

    It takes me 2-3 months to lose 10 pounds, and it is DEFINITELY not effort-free. You may find that as you get older, this strategy will stop working for you.

  • Jules6722
    Jules6722 Posts: 2 Member
    Lolinloggen wrote: »
    It is hard, but I have some motivators that have helped me in the past.
    I keep a daily target of steps and I don't want to loose my streak (currently 581 days) Lat winter it helped me that I had set myself a target of one year which would be in spring
    I run and I had a race scheduled in spring with a PB target
    I keep telling myself You have good habits and therefore you keep them
    Also I actually enjoy walking to and fro work in the dark and cold - The world is closed out and it is just me myself and I. I taught myself to love that feeling of being alone and savour the feeling

    That's such a lovely way to think about it thank you
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    think about what you want, to fit in those clothes
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,935 Member
    This is one of those areas where everyone's different. It's also an area where, for me personally, calorie counting has been a huge help.

    I'm a mostly-unreformed hedonist, and neither motivation nor discipline is my strong suit. Therefore, I need to game other aspects of my behavior and personality, in order to maintain a reasonable level of health for the benefit of my future self.

    I've been pretty active for around 17 years, focused on a seasonal activity (rowing) that is limited in Winter where I live (my river freezes). For about the first 12-13 years of that, I was obese (BMI 30-31). For the last 4 or so, I've been at a healthy weight.

    My exercise volume goes down in Winter, no question. My rowing machine is way, way less fun than my rowing shell on a river, so I do that much less often. Pretty much all year now, for a decade or so, I've been going to spin class twice a week, just to do something intense that mixes up my activities but doesn't over-much provoke my bad knees. (I'm finding that nowadays, rowing 6 days a week is nota really good plan, from a load management standpoint, for my personal body.)

    In Winter, I usually do some rowing machine challenges, because - while I'm not normally goal-oriented - I've found that I will be bull-headed about finishing if I commit to a relatively short term goal (month or less). Beyond that, I try to push myself into some activities that are good for me but (to me) not fun, but I mix it up so that it's not too annoying. Swimming, core work, and (especially) strength training are things I try to get myself doing more of in Winter; some years it works better than others.

    After all these years, I'm pretty confident that once Winter is over, I'll go back to regular on-water rowing, because it's just too fun for me to give up. (I'd do it even if it weren't good for me.)

    The key thing for maintenance, for me, is the calorie counting. With less exercise volume in Winter, I need to eat less. Period. I'm willing to accept a little bit of weight creep, knowing it will drop off in Spring, but not much.

    Fundamentally, I don't want to be gaining more than seasonal variations in non-exercise activity (NEAT) will manage for me. Well over 4 years of logging data helps clarify what that is. Beyond that, I try to keep my NEAT up, despite Winter, mostly by doing some home projects and my usual misbegotten crafts projects.

    Spring will come eventually. ;)

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