Keeping Active in a Cold and Damp Climate

I live in Portland, OR. For nearly nine months out of the year, it rains in Portland.

I grew up in upstate New York where the weather can be severe. There are often dramatic swings in weather conditions. In the Summer, it is blisteringly hot (averaging in the 80's and 90's) and ultra-humid. In the Winters, the snow can come in droves forcing school and road closings, and sending people en masse to the local ski slopes to take out there aggression on the mountains. While the weather varies wildly in New York, it keeps one on his toes. It is not uncommon to have a stretch of beautiful weather followed by a monstrous thunderstorm that rattles foundations and confidences. The weather is inconsistent at best, and controls the way in which people go about their lives.

In Portland, on the other hand, the weather for those nine months is consistently wet. The rain winds its way across the ocean and settles in the Portland area as it is trapped behind the Cascade Range. Under these conditions, it is easy to clam up, set oneself in a regular routine, and ultimately hide altogether from the outside world. The streets are deserted except for the busy folks rushing in from their lunch hours and the hardy few out for their regular jogs. While it is a great environment for cuddling up with a loved one, spending time watching the rain coat the windows, and catching up on your favorite movies, it is also an environment where it is easy to submit to a sedentary lifestyle.

Now, avoiding this condition is difficult. It's hard enough to propel oneself out of a cozy and warm bed and hit the streets running the early morning. It is quite another thing to do the same and be greeted with a sheet of cold, hard rain. So, what's the solution? Eat fast food, watch movies, ignore your own better advice, and wait until Summer is imminent to take action? While this seems like a valid option when faced with the terrible weather in the Northwest, you can maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay fit in the dreary months.

Step one in your path to remaining fit and active in the depressing months is to set up a schedule for yourself in the Winter that is realistic, honest, and manageable. Using a calendar to track your professional and personal life can be very effective. For example, on a normal day, try to set up a list of activities that includes work, play, and exercise. For some people, it helps to give incentives. If you run through the rain in the early morning, treat yourself to a nice latte on your way into work. Or, if you had a nice long workout after coming home from the office, give yourself a nice dinner and watch that movie you've been aching to see. By setting up a system that rewards you for remaining active, you will be more likely to continue with your current exercise regimen.

Another possible plan of action is to join a gym and get a steady workout partner. Now, the benefit here is twofold: first, you can avoid the miserable and often cold weather that is so daunting outside. Second, you will have a partner in crime who will--if picked carefully--provide moral support, motivation, and a reason to hit the weights several times a week. Having a partner also opens you up to a new manner in which you can socialize. Instead of sleeping in and then subsequently rushing off to work each morning, you can develop a new routine of meeting for a quick workout in the morning, and then having breakfast with your partner over the newspaper. Ultimately, having a partner can be as beneficial as the workout itself.

Last, it is important to have exercise goals. If you aren't tracking progression, and you have no sense of where you've been and where you are, then this regimen can backfire. Having no direction can lead to the belief that your work is all for nothing. Therefore, it is important to set out with clear goals in mind--run a marathon in 6 months, lose 10 pounds, run a 7 minute mile pace--and a system by which you can track your progress and results. Again, this will give you motivation and reward as you begin to get closer to your goals. Also, having a system in place that manages your exercise will help you to forget about the nasty weather and focus on your own development.

So, as the Winter months approach ominously, make sure you are prepared with your exercise and fitness arsenal. Preparation and execution is the best plan for avoiding and eliminating laziness and sloth. Although some days, it doesn't hurt to order in some pizza, watch your favorite movies, and watch the rain drench the world outdoors.