Top Tips for Keeping Active this Winter

It’s very common for exercise routines to be aborted as we drift into winter. The darker evenings, lower temperatures and wetter weather make sitting in a warm living room far more appealing. However, there’s an old fitness adage: summer bodies are built in the winter. How can we avoid panicked binge-fitness only a few weeks before our summer holiday in Spain? Here are some tips to help keep you active through the colder months.

More than just a bikini photo

Regular exercise will help you look lithe and toned in your bikini or board shorts, and that’s a perfectly good reason to work out, but there are so many other reasons to keep active. During the winter months, regular activity is a brilliant way to manage your mood, particularly if you’re susceptible to the ‘January blues’. As a bonus, being active outside will expose you to sunlight and mood-boosting vitamin D. We also know that exposure to sunlight (no matter how dim) helps maintain a circadian rhythm so that you’ll feel perky during the day and tired at night.

Changes in appearance are easily noticeable. Changes in your health are less so. This is why your friends have never exclaimed ‘Oh! Your coronary arteries are looking flowy’ or ‘Goodness your hip joints are operating optimally'. Exercising for basic health requires a bit of faith, but the science is abundantly clear – keeping active keeps you healthy. Keep telling yourself during the winter months that exercise is important for your physical and mental health, and your future self will thank you for it.

There’s no such thing as bad weather…

… just bad clothing, or soft people (this is a variant of the adage that I was introduced to by an Icelandic friend). People use the weather as an excuse not to exercise far too often. Believe it or not, we are all waterproof, and a bit of cold won’t hurt us. If you want to stay active outdoors during the winter, invest in some decent clothing and you’ll be fine. You don’t need state-of-the-art active wear; there are bargains to be found in charity shops and on second-hand clothing apps.

There is a limit to what you can do outside in the winter. Walking, running and cycling are great, but you probably don’t want to be doing sit-ups on a rugby pitch like you might do in the summer. Joining a local fitness class or gym is a good option, and if you have the space, you can always invest in some equipment. There are also lots of fitness instructors offering online, video-based training that can be performed at home.

One last point, please don’t believe the myth that being out in the cold will give you a cold. This is an old wife’s tale. The reason we get colds and flu in the winter is because we are inside more, where bugs are easily spread.

Stay safe

If you are concerned about being out in the dark, perhaps running or walking, there are a few things you can do to make yourself safer. To begin with, stick to places that you know are safe. Also, keep to well-lit areas and consider investing in a head torch. I’ve trained people in the past who have gone out running with assault alarms (they’re very cheap) and I know other people who ask friends or family members to track their whereabouts through an app. Finally, run with friends; you then have strength in numbers.

Get sporty

I wish more people kept playing sports as they grew older. After a certain age, people seem to decide that the only ways to keep active are to run, walk, work out in a gym or join a fitness class. There are so many benefits to playing sport. You get social interaction, a sense of camaraderie, the joy of teamwork, a surge of competitiveness and the opportunity to relive your childhood dreams of scoring an over-head kick or running the full length of the rugby field to score a try. I understand that as we age, we accumulate aches and pains, but a combination of sensible fitness training and moderately competitive sports should be achievable for most people. So, consider joining a social netball, touch rugby, or 5-a-side football team. The desire to win and not wanting to let your teammates down could be the motivation you need to keep active through the winter.

Sign up for an event

Many people have very general fitness goals. I’ve had lots of clients in the past who just want to perform regular exercise, and they aren’t motivated to train on their own. By hiring a personal trainer, they get structured, enjoyable and balanced training. However, signing up for an event can provide the motivation needed to train alone, and if you have a goal, you’ll structure your training with purpose. So, consider signing up for an endurance running race, booking a weekend in southern France where you plan to cycle up an iconic mountain, or even convince your mates to enter a muddy obstacle course race.

This winter, I wish you all the best with your health and fitness. Remember, keeping active is fantastic for your mental and physical health, even if the results aren’t very tangible. If you do want to look fitter, training through the winter will get you in shape for summer beach days (don’t leave it too late!). You don’t have to join a gym or fitness class (although these are good options) because there are lots of other ways to stay active, like playing sports, training for an event, or just going out for a walk and enjoying the fresh air and vitamin D.

Good luck!

Tom is an Exeter-based personal trainer, fitness instructor and athletics coach. You can click here to find out more about him.