Winter is an often-overlooked season. It’s not exactly inspiring, with its short days and grey skies. But winter can be incredibly uplifting — especially when you’re forced to stay indoors and find ways to keep moving your dreams forward while waiting for spring. So use this cold season as a chance to grow stronger in every way that matters.
The days are short and the grey skies seem to stretch on forever.
Winter has a tendency to slow things down. The days are short and the grey skies seem to stretch on forever. This makes it hard to get out of bed in the morning, especially if you’re not feeling well or if you’ve got a heavy workload at school or at work. The prospect of going into work when it’s cold outside can be very depressing, especially if you have a job that is highly demanding or doesn’t require much mental effort. You may feel like nothing is getting accomplished, even though you’re putting in the footwork.
So what do we do? As one of my friends put it: “Do more.”
The winter months aren’t easy for everyone; some people (like the guy writing this post) find them more difficult than others. But I believe there is no better time than now for us all to take action toward making the world better than its ever been (beginning with us)—and if not now, then when? It’s up to each individual person how they choose to make their own mark on history and how they will care for and bolster themselves along the way. But whatever path you choose, know that there are others out there who care about doing good work too and will walk that journey with you – so let us step forward regardless of the season!
Winter may not be inherently inspiring, but you can make it incredibly motivating.
Winter may not be buzzing with excitement, but you can create incredible motivation. Winter is a time of rest and recovery; a chance to focus on inner growth; a chance to find your inner strength and foundation for the year to come; an opportunity to work on your fitness, mental health, resilience, and so much more.
What are you going to choose for this time?
There will be plenty of time for progress in the spring.
Now that the days are shorter and colder, you may have been tempted to put your fitness routine on ice. But don’t give into those thoughts! Spring will come again—and it’ll be here before you know it. There’s no reason why a winter workout plan can’t work just as well in the springtime.
With this in mind, here are some tips for keeping your exercise regimen going through the winter months:
- Use an indoor treadmill or rower if possible; if not and there’s snow on the ground, make a snowman with your kids or the neighborhood kids or start a snowball fight.
- Try a new form of movement to challenge your brain and body. Modalities such as MoveNat and Primal Play can be unconventional for most and exactly what’s needed if you find yourself in a winter rut.
- Stay home and try out a gymnastics move. Holding a solid 60 second handstand is a feet for most and can be fun to learn.
Winter is a reminder to find inspiration from our inner being instead of what is going on around us.
Winter has a tendency to slow things down, and we need to find inspiration from our inner being instead of searching around us for it. Our thoughts, feelings and ideas can be an important source of motivation. We need to be able to find stillness within and trust in ourselves and to listen to the silence to allow feeling positive and inspiration. We must also acknowledge that things do get better when we stay focused on the long game or life that we want.
My wish for you is that this has stirred up some ideas within you to help you thrive as we finish these last few weeks of winter. There’s no doubt that winter can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be a dead end. By finding inspiration within yourself, reflecting on your dreams and heart’s desires, and connecting with the people around you, you will emerge from this cold season stronger, wiser, and better than ever before.
Arturo Ruiz Coaching 