I know many people pretty much go into hibernation mode with regards to working our once winter hits. It’s easy to understand how this can happen. For me, these are the things that I hate most about working out in the winter

1. It sucks leaving the gym all sweaty or freshly showered when it’s freezing outside. It just feels so much colder after a workout than it does before. Any bit of moisture on your body seems to freeze on contact with cold air. As a result, I’m often the person running through the parking lot like a crazy person after my workout.

2. It feels like it gets dark at 3 pm during the winter. It’s kind of discombobulating to leave the gym in total darkness at 5 PM, but that honestly makes anything a struggle in the winter time.

3. Dressing for the weather- even if you’re going to be working out in the gym, you have to consider the trek from your car to the gym and back. Anything that you wear into the gym, you’ve got to be willing to get sweaty. It also typically means you need to bring a lock, so you can lock some of your layers up in a locker while you workout.

4. If you’re planning to run outside, you’ve got to figure out the right amount of layers and gear to make it through your activity. Also you have to figure out whether or not, the roads/sidewalks will be too icy.

Now I’m sure most people would consider my list to be rather small, but that’s probably because I’ve dedicated myself to staying active for more than 7 years now. I’ve reached a level where I NEED to get my workouts in to feel human. The endorphin rush that I receive from my workouts helps me keep my anxieties at bay. I only got to this level by treating my workouts like a job. My schedule for working out is set in stone, and I only reschedule workouts if I absolutely HAVE to. Anything else in my life has to work around my workout schedule if at all possible. For an idea of what this looks like, my current schedule is as follows:

Monday: Boxing

Tuesday: 30 minute Zumba Warm-up; 60 minute personal training session (Arm Day)

Wednesday: XIT

Thursday: 2-3 mile run (outside weather permitting otherwise on my treadmill); 60 minute personal training session (Leg Day)

Friday: Active Rest Day

Saturday: Treadmill-Speed Intervals

Sunday: 3-5 mile run (either outside or on the treadmill); longer runs when I’m working up to a half marathon are always on Sunday

This has been my schedule for the last few months, and I honestly only know what day of the week it is based on what my workout for the day is. Being this regimented about my workouts really makes it hard for me to come up with excuses not to get in my workout on any given day. Taking advantage of classes at the gym also helps me keep myself accountable. I know that if I don’t show up that there will be people who give me crap for not being there.  Most of my workouts take place in the morning, so I get it done and out of the way. This also helps to counteract the problem with the early onset winter darkness. It’s so much easier to come out into the sunlight than the darkness. Honestly, I’ve never been able to figure out how to how to overcome 1 and 3 on the list about things I hate about winter, so those become a mind over matter type of situation. No matter what, I know that I will make it through the winter and once again enjoy not having to worry about whether I’ll be warm enough.