Staying Motivated to Exercise When the Days Are Short and Cold
By James Hilton, founder of Jim's Gym
Winter is a good time to get fitter. The class comes to you and nobody has to scrape a windscreen first.
If you want to keep your exercise motivation through a UK winter, over 55 or otherwise, the research points away from willpower and towards something easier. Set things up so that turning up takes very little deciding.
I've pulled together five pieces of research on that. For each one I'll say what it found, who it studied and where they differ from you, and then what to do with it on a dark Tuesday.
Moving less in winter is the normal pattern
A 2022 review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health by Garriga and colleagues [1] gathered 26 studies covering 9,300 adults in 18 countries. Activity was highest in summer and lowest in winter, and time spent sitting ran the other way. That held whatever the country, the health of the people taking part or the way activity was measured.
These were observational studies of adults of all ages, some of them living with long-term conditions. So the review shows a pattern across thousands of people and can't say anything certain about you. What I take from it is that a quieter January is the season at work, and a season is something you can plan for.
Decide once, then stop deciding
Psychologists call it an implementation intention. I'd call it an if-then plan. You pick the moment and the place in advance: when the kettle goes on, I do ten squats. When breakfast is cleared, I open the laptop for my class.
A 2013 review in Health Psychology Review by Bélanger-Gravel, Godin and Amireault [2] pooled 26 studies of plans like that for physical activity. People who made one were more active afterwards than people who didn't, and the difference was still there at follow-up. The authors describe the effect as small to medium.
Two cautions. Small to medium means a nudge. And the plans worked best in studies of students and of patients, so nobody has shown the same result in people over 55 exercising at home. It costs one sentence to try, and deciding is the part that gets harder when it's dark outside.
Give a habit weeks, and forgive the odd day off
In 2010, Phillippa Lally and colleagues published a study in the European Journal of Social Psychology [3]. Ninety-six volunteers each chose something to do every day in the same setting, such as after breakfast, and reported on it for 12 weeks. The time it took for the behaviour to feel automatic ranged from 18 to 254 days.
The finding I like best for winter: missing one opportunity made no material difference to how the habit formed.
The limits. Only 82 of the 96 gave enough data to analyse. The habits were everyday eating, drinking and activity ones that people picked and reported themselves, and the paper's summary doesn't give their ages. It wasn't a study of people over 55 following an exercise plan. Still, a routine started in November has had a fair run by the time the evenings stretch out.
Pick the class you'd miss
A 2012 review in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity by Teixeira and colleagues [4] looked at 66 studies of why people exercise. Valuing what exercise does for you was the stronger predictor of getting started. Enjoying it for its own sake was the stronger predictor of sticking with it long term.
Most of those studies were descriptive, so they show what goes along with sticking at it and can't prove what causes it. They also covered adults of all ages.
For winter, that says choose by appetite. The live timetable has Fitness and Strength with me, Zumba Gold with Row, Yoga with Virginia, Pilates with Aimie, Tai Chi with Andy, Dancercise with Anna, and Balance. Many have seated and standing options. If Zumba Gold is the one you'd be sorry to miss, Zumba Gold is your winter training plan.
Let other people notice you're there
Farrance, Tsofliou and Clark reviewed 10 studies of group exercise for older people in Preventive Medicine in 2016 [5]. Where attendance was measured in a comparable way, people turned up to an average of 69.1 per cent of sessions. When participants were asked what kept them coming, the answers included feeling connected to the others, seeing the benefits, how the programme was put together and the instructor.
Those were in-person groups in community settings. Jim's Gym is online, so I can't claim that figure for a class on Zoom. What I can share is what members write.
Jayne put it like this: "Do you struggle to get out of bed on these dark cold mornings? I can give you a 5 star reason to get up, and engage in fun filled, excellent exercise classes and lots more if you become a member of Jim's Gym."
Every live class is on Zoom and every one is recorded. There's also a private WhatsApp community of hundreds of members, so there's company on the days the weather offers none.
Your plan for a dark Tuesday
Write one if-then sentence and put it where you'll see it. Kettle, then squats.
Choose the class you look forward to. Do it live when you can and on demand when you can't.
If a day gets away from you, do the next one. The habit research is on your side there.
And start before January. A head start is easier to keep than a resolution.
If your mood drops as the days shorten and stays low, speak to your GP. Exercise sits alongside that conversation.
Your next step
Start with the free Fitness MOT. Five exercises at home, no scoring and no pass mark. Do it now, retake it every four to six weeks, and you can watch winter go by in your own results.
Then join Jim's Gym for £12.99 a month. That's 15+ live classes a week on Zoom, 1,000+ on-demand videos and the Healthy Habits Club, with a 30-day money-back guarantee, no contracts and no joining fees. Or join for the year and get 2 months on me.
It's never too late.
Quick questions, straight answers
How do I stay motivated to exercise in winter?
Staying motivated to exercise in winter works best when you rely on a plan instead of willpower. Decide in advance when and where to exercise, choose an activity you enjoy and exercise at home when the weather is poor. A 2013 review of 26 studies found advance plans gave a small to medium lift in activity.
Is it normal to exercise less in winter?
Exercising less in winter is the usual pattern. A 2022 review of 26 studies covering 9,300 adults in 18 countries found activity was highest in summer and lowest in winter, while sitting time rose. The studies were observational and covered adults of all ages, so they describe a trend and not any one person.
How long does it take to make exercise a habit?
Forming a habit takes anywhere from a few weeks to several months. In a 2010 study of 96 volunteers who repeated a chosen daily behaviour, the time taken for it to feel automatic ranged from 18 to 254 days. Missing a single day made no material difference. The volunteers were not specifically over 55.
Does missing a workout ruin your progress?
Missing one workout does not undo an exercise habit. A 2010 study in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that missing one opportunity to perform a new daily behaviour did not materially affect how the habit formed. The study looked at everyday habits chosen by volunteers, so carry on with the next session.
Is online exercise good for over 55s in winter?
Online exercise suits winter because it takes the weather and the dark out of the decision. Jim's Gym is an online membership for adults over 55, with 15+ live classes a week on Zoom, every live class recorded and 1,000+ on-demand videos. Most classes work in a living room with little or no equipment.
Our affordable monthly membership is great for those just starting out or who may need to take a break for a big adventure! The yearly option gives you two months' FREE membership and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
References
[1] Garriga A, Sempere-Rubio N, Molina-Prados MJ, Faubel R. Impact of Seasonality on Physical Activity: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(1):2. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010002
[2] Bélanger-Gravel A, Godin G, Amireault S. A meta-analytic review of the effect of implementation intentions on physical activity. Health Psychology Review. 2013;7(1):23-54. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2011.560095
[3] Lally P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J. How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology. 2010;40(6):998-1009. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674
[4] Teixeira PJ, Carraça EV, Markland D, Silva MN, Ryan RM. Exercise, physical activity, and self-determination theory: A systematic review. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2012;9:78. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-9-78
[5] Farrance C, Tsofliou F, Clark C. Adherence to community based group exercise interventions for older people: A mixed-methods systematic review. Preventive Medicine. 2016;87:155-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.02.037
James Hilton is the founder of Jim's Gym, an online fitness community for adults over 55, based near Stroud, Gloucestershire. He set it up for people who want to keep doing the things they love, with classes, community and a fair bit of laughing along the way.