{"id":572072,"date":"2026-07-06T19:42:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T19:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/572072\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T19:42:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T19:42:22","slug":"too-cold-to-exercise-heres-how-to-start-and-stay-on-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/572072\/","title":{"rendered":"Too cold to exercise? Here\u2019s how to start and stay on track"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">How many times have you snoozed the alarm lately or skipped out completely on exercise because of the cold?<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">It&#8217;s not fun dragging yourself out of a warm bed or finishing the day working out in the dark, but experts say the benefits of staying active in winter outweigh the discomforts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Here are their tips to help you stay on track and which exercise is right for you if you are just starting out.<\/p>\n<p>Reframing our thinking around exercise<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Reframing why we exercise can be a helpful first step, according to Associate Professor Shelley Keating, from the University of Queensland&#8217;s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;People often say, &#8216;I just don&#8217;t really do much exercise during winter, but I pick it up again&#8217;,&#8221; says the clinical exercise physiologist based in Brisbane\/Meanjin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;[But] if you&#8217;re taking a medicine for something, you wouldn&#8217;t take a break, it&#8217;s important for your health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"EmphasisedText_quote__TE6kn\"><p>&#8220;The benefits of exercise are so profound, [so] try and really think of it in that way.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"sleep exercise generic pexels\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8915ee5c7df5eaeb7de994c7e4014a8c.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Experts recommend being organised the night before to remove opportunities for excuses. (Supplied: Pexels)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">She says exercise should be about &#8220;health gain&#8221;, not weight loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;Even just the impact on mood during winter, it can make you feel so invigorated and great.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Why it&#8217;s important to &#8216;double down&#8217; in winter<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Brisbane-based exercise physiologist and dietician Cam McDonald says there are several changes that can happen in our body during winter, which makes it important to keep moving.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2025-02-21\/womens-exercise\/104959348\" data-component=\"FullBleedLink\" class=\"RelatedCard_link__rsgR9 FullBleedLink_root__lTw_U interactive_focusContext__yRhc_ interactive_defaults__AKxUU FullBleedLink_showVisited__g3Xvz\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">What is the best mix of exercise by age for women?<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP RelatedCard_synopsis__cFwMW Typography_sizeMobile14__u7TGe Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Here&#8217;s what experts have to say about finding the right balance of exercise styles at your life stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">These can include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ContentAlignment_marginBottom__4H_6E ContentAlignment_overflowVisible__N2zKU\">\n<li>Weight gain<\/li>\n<li>Insulin resistance<\/li>\n<li>Higher cholesterol<\/li>\n<li>Higher blood pressure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;Doing exercise that suits your body improves glucose regulation; it improves the type of cholesterol that&#8217;s being produced, or at least how it&#8217;s being used,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;It improves your blood pressure [and] your immune system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;So even just going for a walk will improve your immune function.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Dr McDonald says avoiding exercise during the colder months may actually &#8220;unwind&#8221; your fitness faster than other times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;The physiological changes that you\u2019re going through might accelerate a decline in health a little bit faster at this time, than you might see other times of year,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">For these reasons, he says &#8220;winter is a really good time to double down rather than to take the foot off the gas&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Exercise snacking&#8217; and trying different times<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">With shorter daylight hours, time is one of the biggest challenges to continuing and sustaining exercise, says Dr Keating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">If you&#8217;re struggling during winter, she recommends assessing where you can fit the exercise in and prioritising it as a key part of your daily routine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;Whether you can just switch the hours up, maybe do it in your lunch break if you&#8217;ve got the capacity,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Dr McDonald says while some people &#8220;thrive&#8221; with early morning training <a class=\"Link_link__5eL5m ScreenReaderOnly_srLinkHint__OysWz Link_showVisited__C1Fea Link_showFocus__ALyv2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/current-biology\/fulltext\/S0960-9822(14)01639-X?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS096098221401639X%3Fshowall%3Dtrue\" data-component=\"Link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">research shows<\/a> many &#8220;perform at their strongest from around about 11am onwards&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;If you&#8217;ve got this natural tendency to not want to get out of bed first thing in the morning and you actually feel better in the afternoon, you should definitely follow your body with that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man sits at a playground\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/888b00f4d30ff1d1d2130d1665b60a46.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Cam McDonald says even low-impact exercise such as walking can improve your immune function. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Another strategy Dr Keating recommends is &#8220;<strong>exercise snacking<\/strong>&#8220;, where you break up exercise into smaller pieces throughout the day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;You don&#8217;t need to be running a marathon every day,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;You can think about it like &#8216;every hour I&#8217;m going to get up and do, maybe 10 to 15 minutes of squats, some calf raises, some push-ups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;I work in a building where I&#8217;ve got five flights of stairs, so I might go up and down the stairs and that gets my heart rate up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Make exercise social and inviting<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">To make exercise feel more inviting, Dr Keating recommends changing some of your exercise to home workouts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;<strong>Bring exercise equipment in from the cold garage<\/strong>, get it in front of the TV, somewhere where it&#8217;s welcoming to actually do that sort of exercise.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Dr McDonald also recommends <strong>opting for indoor workouts<\/strong>, for example, at a gym.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;[A gym] gives you a whole lot of variety to, if you don&#8217;t feel really [motivated], you can go for a walk or a cross train.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;If you are starting out exercise, you&#8217;re going to get some sort of help there that&#8217;s going to make it safer for you to engage.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A group of people working on near exercise mats on a green grassy oval\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fea506628ac6e91b98e1c9cf3a2bd074.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Erin Wait runs outdoor group fitness classes on the Sunshine Coast. (Supplied: Erin Wait)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Making exercise a social activity is another great way to help with consistency and accountability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Personal trainer Erin Wait runs outdoor group training classes on the Sunshine Coast on Kabi Kabi lands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Ms Wait says exercising with others can help keep you on track.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;The number one thing is community \u2026 you&#8217;re essentially showing up for others.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Reducing barriers and removing pressure<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Ms Wait recommends &#8220;<strong>reducing barriers&#8217; to morning sessions<\/strong> by getting organised in advance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;A lot of our clients, they&#8217;ll get all their clothes out the night before, some actually even sleep in their clothes,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2026-04-21\/six-ways-your-smartwatch-is-lying-to-you\/106584712\" data-component=\"FullBleedLink\" class=\"RelatedCard_link__rsgR9 FullBleedLink_root__lTw_U interactive_focusContext__yRhc_ interactive_defaults__AKxUU FullBleedLink_showVisited__g3Xvz\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Six ways your smartwatch is lying to you, according to science<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP RelatedCard_synopsis__cFwMW Typography_sizeMobile14__u7TGe Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Wearable fitness technologies like smartwatches are worn by millions of people daily. But they&#8217;re not as accurate as you might think.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;They pre-book their sessions in, so when you wake up in the morning and it is dark and cold, you&#8217;ve already removed all those little opportunities of excuses and all you have to do now is go.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Dr Keating agrees. She recommends <strong>having your clothes and bag ready<\/strong> the night before, <strong>dressing in layers <\/strong>and <strong>warming up at home<\/strong> before you head out the door.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Ms Wait uses the concept of<strong> &#8220;high and low seasons&#8221; to help remove the pressure around exercise in winter.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;Your high seasons are spring and summer, those barriers are kind of gone, we&#8217;re training a bit more and it&#8217;s a lot easier,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;Then maybe in winter, rather than chasing [personal bests] or training four times a week, we kind of lower the expectations a little bit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;Maybe you&#8217;re going to train twice a week over the next two months and you&#8217;re just there to move your body.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Choosing exercise you enjoy makes it easier to do<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">The best type of exercise is one that you&#8217;ll do long term because you enjoy it, says Dr Keating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;For some people that might be Bollywood dancing, for others that might be hiking, some people love going to the gym, others don&#8217;t,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"EmphasisedText_quote__TE6kn\"><p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t try something you know you&#8217;re not going to like because it&#8217;s not going to be sustainable.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How many times have you snoozed the alarm lately or skipped out completely on exercise because of the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572073,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[278],"tags":[243813,107468,18,539,525,135,19,17,46231,243814,6345,28304,8076],"class_list":["post-572072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-afternoon-workouts","tag-cold-weather","tag-eire","tag-exercise","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-motivation","tag-staying-warm","tag-tips","tag-winter","tag-working-out"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116874743602376008","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}