When the clocks change and daylight disappears, something happens to people. Energy drops. Moods dip. Training motivation falls off a cliff. You can’t blame people, because it’s much easier to motivate yourself to move when the sun is shining, you’ve got a holiday booked and the days are much longer!
But winter doesn’t have to derail your fitness. In fact, if you handle it right, these darker months can become some of your most productive.
Here’s how to stay consistent — even when your brain wants to hibernate.
Get Outside Daily
You don’t need a two-hour walk. You just need daylight.
A study from 2022 titled ‘Time spent in outdoor light is associated with mood, sleep, and circadian rhythm-related outcomes: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study in over 400,000 UK Biobank participants’ concluded that daily exposure to natural light outdoors improved mood, energy levels and sleep quality.
Even 10 minutes outside will help to…
Regulate your circadian rhythm
Improve mood
Boost daytime energy
Improve sleep quality
All of that feeds directly into your training performance and consistency. It’ll also help with your appetite regulation and the like.
So, take a short walk. Have a coffee outside. Head outside for a quick loop around the block. It all counts, and it’s all beneficial. It’ll also very quickly add up towards your step count every day!
If you want more energy in winter, daylight is non-negotiable.
Keep Your Training Time Sacred
Dark evenings are motivation killers, and if you don’t protect your workout time, it’ll vanish.
So treat your training like you treat your work meetings: scheduled, immovable, and part of your routine. It’s one of the many reasons that AdMac Fitness personal training and small group training work so well. They’re important appointments in your diary, so you don’t miss them!
By putting your sessions in your calendar, you’re far less likely to miss the session.
When the rest of life gets busier — Christmas plans, darker nights, school chaos — your training stays locked in, and your progress comes along with it.
Eat for Energy
Winter isn’t the time to underfuel. Your body needs nutrients, not another beige diet. A varied diet, complete with a full range of fruits, vegetables and protein, will help to keep your energy levels up and ensure you get a full complement of vitamins and minerals on board.
Your diet should ideally contain lots of seasonal foods like:
Root veg
Squash
Dark leafy greens
Citrus fruits
Beans and lentils
Nutrient-dense meals help stabilise your appetite, improve recovery, and keep your motivation higher than the temperature outside (low bar, I know)!
They also offer an additional benefit that we don’t always appreciate - they help boost our immune system at a time when we need it most. Winter colds, low vitamin D levels and too many parties can wreak havoc on our ability to fight bugs, so a good diet helps a lot.
Find a Training Community
Motivation is fickle. Community isn’t. By joining a training group you make an appointment, you outsource motivation, and you belong to a group of people who’ll push you when you’re not feeling hyper motivated!
There’s also the benefit of having a professional coach train you. When you’ve got a personal trainer programming your workouts, they’re going to be varied, enjoyable and scaled to a level that will suit you best. It stops you from thinking up your own workouts, where you’ll likely do less than you could/should!
Small group training gives you:
Warmth
Accountability
Structure
A social hit that boosts mood and motivation
When the winter slump kicks in, the group pulls you through. On the cold, dark days when you don’t feel like showing up, you still go, because people are expecting you.
That’s how you stay consistent all winter long.
Dress for Success
If part of your routine involves outdoor walking or running, kit becomes crucial. If you’re not dressed for the conditions, winter exercise becomes very unappealing. For the sake of comfort, protection and a motivational boost, you should invest in:
Gloves
A warm hat
A decent mid-layer
Reflective gear
Waterproofs if you’re committed
Comfort equals consistency. If you’re warm and dry, you’ll stick to your habits. If you’re freezing, you’ll bail. Simple.
Winter Doesn’t Have to Win!
Darkness doesn’t have to drag your fitness backwards. If you follow a few simple steps - get daylight, protect your routine, fuel properly, train with other people and dress for the weather, then winter becomes just another season — not a setback.
If you want help staying accountable through the colder months, small group training at AdMac Fitness is designed for exactly that. Let me know and I’ll help you get started.
Want to improve your health and fitness? Let the AdMac Fitness Personal Trainers help…
AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.
We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.
For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Our locations are…
AdMac Fitness: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA
AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD