Less energy in winter? How to keep moving

It is dark by five, and the sofa is closer to the door than your gym bag. Sound familiar? In November and December, many people feel their energy drain away. That is not a flaw in your character. Your body is responding to less light, shorter days and a diary that fills up as the holidays approach.

These are exactly the months when a few fixed anchors pay off. If your movement depends on mood or weather, winter mostly means moving less. If you plan it, the dark months turn out to be perfectly manageable.

What the dark does to you

Daylight is one of the most important signals for your body clock. Leave home in the dark and come back in the dark, and that clock has little to hold on to. Many people notice it as a sluggish morning, a dip halfway through the afternoon and then struggling to fall asleep at night.

Then there is the diary. Year-end deadlines, drinks, sorting out presents. The room for training shrinks, while your body could really use that movement. If you want to know more about how sleep and recovery fit together, read our piece on sleep and recovery.

Daylight and vitamin D

In the Netherlands the sun is too low in the winter months for your skin to make vitamin D. Your body then relies on what it stored over the summer. The Dutch Nutrition Centre advises spending 15 to 30 minutes outdoors every day from March to October, between 11:00 and 15:00, with your face and hands uncovered¹. Several groups are also advised to take a supplement, including people who spend little time outdoors during the day and women aged 50 and over¹.

Going outside is still worthwhile in winter. You will not make vitamin D, but the daylight helps your rhythm. A walk at lunchtime is a double win: movement and light at the moment you need them most.

Why moving helps right now

The physical activity guidelines of the Health Council of the Netherlands are clear: at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, spread over several days, plus muscle and bone strengthening activities twice a week². That guideline applies all year round, including when the weather is grim.

In practice we see that strength training tends to hold up in winter, because it happens indoors at a fixed time. The walks and bike rides disappear sooner. That is why it helps to put both into your week on purpose. With physical training at de Werf, at least the second part is taken care of.

Plan your training around the light

The time of your training matters in winter. A few things that work:

1. Catch the light while it is there. A short walk or bike ride between 11:00 and 15:00 gives you more than the same time after dinner.
   
2. Do not train too late in the evening if you notice you sleep badly afterwards. An early evening session suits many people better.
   
3. Make it an appointment. A session in your diary with a time and a place goes ahead more often than an intention. We wrote about that in start now, not in January.

If you notice the dip goes further than a sluggish afternoon and stress or low mood start to take over, look beyond training alone. Our coaching for burnout and stress is there for exactly that.

Small agreements for the dark months

You do not have to get through winter on willpower. A few small agreements with yourself do the work:

1. Ten minutes outside in daylight every working day.
   
2. Two fixed training sessions a week, December included.
   
3. A plan B for busy weeks: a short session beats no session.

A real example from our practice

"Bo, in her early forties, noticed last November that after work she only ever ended up on the sofa. We moved her training from 19:30 to 17:30 and agreed on a walk during her lunch break. 'I thought I needed more rest,' she said in January, 'but what I really needed was more light and a fixed moment.'"

Get through winter well

Would you rather go into the coming months with a plan than on willpower? Book a no-obligation intake and together we will look at how movement fits into your winter week.

Book your intake

Read also:
Our coaching in physical training and burnout and stress.

Sources:
¹ Voedingscentrum, What can you do to get enough vitamin D? (Dutch)
² Health Council of the Netherlands (2017), Physical activity guidelines 2017, summary (Dutch)