It is harder to find the motivation to exercise when the sun isn’t shining, but there are still plenty of options available to you. The main thing is, don’t be too hard on yourself or set high expectations. Start with small goals – you can always get more ambitious later, if you are doing better than expected.

First of all, sit down and think about what your objectives are.

- Do you want to lose weight?
- Do you want to tone up your body?
- Do you want to prepare for a particular sport?

If your goal is purely to lose weight, then you need to know that new research proves you don’t HAVE to get fit. A recent study compared three groups: one just went on a diet, one just exercised, and one did a combined diet/exercise program. All three lost a similar amount of weight, provided they stuck to their program. So if exercise poses some challenges for you, don’t feel you are missing out. All you have to do is stick to your diet – which is another story, of course!

If you just want to tone up your body, then your most effective options are weight training, or swimming at an indoor pool. If you can’t get to a gym, there is a wide range of exercise DVD’s that you can use at home – and if you can’t afford weights, you can use cans of beans, or choose a DVD that uses your own body weight. Swimming is a great exercise for all-over body toning: it is still actually weight training, you are just using the weight (or resistance) of the water instead of metal weights.

If you want to prepare for a particular sport, then the key is to stop thinking of your body as a whole. Work out what specific strengths you need for your sport, then concentrate on those. For instance, if you are a runner you would obviously work on your legs, whereas a tennis player would also work on arm strength. Don’t forget to work on flexibility, too. The key is to focus on the most important areas, the ones you really need to be at your best when the season starts.

Generally speaking, weight training is the fastest way to build strength in a specific part of the body. However exercises like push-ups and squats, which use your own body weight, are very effective. Repeating the same movements you would do in your sport, with the addition of resistance or a weight, can be very effective.

So, to summarise – break it down, and focus on the most important objectives to start with. To motivate you, try sticking a photo of yourself (or someone inspiring) on the refrigerator, looking the way you want to look when summer comes!

Photo by Lululemon on Flickr.