The days are getting shorter and shorter, the nights longer. Fog lays its veil on the land. Raincoats and gloves are now part of every little outing or the commute to work.

It’s NOVEMBER.

It now gets dark earlier in the evening, due to the change from summer to winter time. The motivation to exercise and do yourself some good is shrinking. Yet, this is precisely the time when exercise outdoors can work wonders!

Imagine how great you feel when you fall into bed in the evening having sweated, breathed and just cleared your head earlier in the day.

Exercise is as important for your wellbeing, as your diet or social interactions. Sport and exercise can help both physically and mentally to cope with your sometimes rigorous daily routine.

Finding the motivation to exercise and making the first step can be difficult and requires self-discipline, especially at this time of year. Yet the amazing feeling after “switching off and moving” is a wonderful reward. We are also rewarded by a deep sleep, a good digestion, a strong immune system and by simply feeling more balanced and content. It’s not just us, who feel the improvement, but also our family, friends and colleagues.

Therefore, I recommend planning for one hour workouts three times a week. This might prove difficult at times, but is doable for all of us. Let’s all make our health our number one priority.

Here are some guidelines for planning:

• Use your lunch break

  If at all possible, schedule your exercise for lunchtime in winter. Enjoying the few rays of sunshine outside is vital for our vitamin D production and helps us to tackle the second part of the day with new energy.

• Set weekly hours / training in a club

  Regular sport, such as football training in the club or regularly attending the running club should be highlighted in your diary.

• Make arrangements

  Make plans with a friend to go for a run in the forest. Mostly these meetups make for the best conversations or shared experiences, which make working out a fixed date in your weekly plan.

• Family workouts

  A joint bike tour or run with your children (on the bike or in the pram, for instance) can be a wonderful experience. A visit to the playground can be used for a short outdoor session doing to some efficient exercises. Exercising and being outside together strengthens your children’s natural connection to exercising and sports.

• Use your commute

  Depending on the distance of the commute, you can also use it for your exercise. Is it possible to walk to work? Or cycle? Or maybe get off the bus one stop earlier and walk a few minutes to the office? Using your commute is the best way to combine what’s necessary with what’s useful: We save time, do ourselves some good and start the day with plenty of energy.

I hope that you have a lot of fun exercising, lots of beautiful moments outside in our lovely nature and that you feel energised.

Judith Wyder
Tailrunning Professional, mother of two, Bernese