Finding it hard to get out and exercise in this miserable weather?

Damn, it’s not even the end of January yet and we’re already on our third storm of the year here in the UK.

I find it quite mad that we tend to try and start a bunch of new things that require us to leave the house at the darkest, coldest, most miserable time of the year. So if you’ve been struggling to get out on these dark, windy, rainy days - it’s really not surprising.

Winter adds friction to everything. The effort required to do the same thing in June is wildly different to the effort required in January. It creates huge “opportunity” blockers: our environment is working against us. And yet, we tend to ignore that.

So why am I still going?

I’ve been reflecting on this myself. Somehow, I’ve still been getting out for my Tuesday morning swim, and my Friday morning pilates class, even when the weather is truly grim. 

Blimey, that sounds like quite the brag, right?! But it really isn’t. Trust me: there are plenty of things I’ve avoided because of the weather (daily walks, mainly).

So why do these two things survive the winter, when others don’t?

I was prompted to think about this properly after I posted this Insta story:

And got this reply:

It made me think: what was the prep I’d done to make this happen?

The fact that I’m already in a routine helps - but this alone is rarely enough to get me out of the house at 8am on a Friday when I’m tired and it’s blowing a gale.

Enjoyment beats willpower

What actually gets me out the door is enjoyment.

I go to pilates because I feel good while I’m doing it - it’s like therapy for my body. And I go swimming because I love the feeling of being in the water, and how it clears my mind. Those things are genuinely worth getting wet and cold for.

This is something we often overlook. We assume that long-term goals like “being healthy” or “getting fitter” should be enough to motivate us. But when conditions are tough, immediate rewards matter far more.

Feeling good. Feeling calmer. Feeling connected. Feeling absorbed. Those are the things that cut through when your bed is warm and the rain is horizontal.

So if you’re struggling to get out to do the things you planned this winter, it might help to pause and reflect:

1. Why did you start doing this in the first place? If it’s mainly in service of a long-term goal, that might not be strong enough right now. Immediate motivators are far more powerful.

2. How does it actually feel while you’re doing it? Not just afterwards, when you get that smug “I did it” glow - but during the activity itself. Are you enjoying it, or enduring it?

Two kinder ways to stay active right now

If the enjoyment and your “why” aren’t quite enough to get you out of the door, it might be worth setting that activity aside for now, rather than forcing it.

When we repeatedly push ourselves to do something when we don’t want to do it, it stops feeling like a choice and starts feeling like an obligation - even if that obligation was created by our past selves. That shift is pretty disastrous for motivation.

Instead, you could try:

1. Moving in ways that don’t require leaving the house: Not exactly revolutionary advice, I know - but sometimes we need permission to stop doing the thing that makes us feel miserable. A podcast on the exercise bike might genuinely be better than a run in the rain.

2. Focusing on something you already know you enjoy: It might not be the thing you think you should be doing, but doing something consistently is always better than doing the “perfect” thing sporadically. If at-home yoga is all you can stick to right now, that’s more than enough.

In a couple of months’ time, those external barriers will be lower (hello, daylight and dry pavements) - which means motivation matters less. And remember, when we start something new, it often takes time before it actually feels good (my first few swims were definitely more hard work than joyful 😅) - so it makes sense for that initial learning curve to happen when other factors are on your side.

So if this winter has knocked the wind out of your exercise plans, please go easy on yourself. You’re not lazy - you’re human, and responding to your environment.