EXERCISE MOTIVATION: KICKING THOSE WINTER BLUES

MANHATTAN -- If you're used to fitting a physical fitness regimen in around your work schedule, winter may present a problem for you. As the days get shorter it becomes harder to find motivation to continue an exercise routine. This can be hard when the only option is getting up before the sunrise or going after a long day at the office.

According to a report, "Monthly Estimates of Leisure-Time Physical Inactivity," released by the Centers for Disease Control, there is data that suggest that people become more inactive in winter months.

"Recent data published show that, as a population, more people become sedentary during the winter months," said David Dzewaltowski, head of the department of kinesiology at Kansas State University. "So, while we may observe that anecdotally in our daily lives, we also have clear data that that's the case. Obviously, explanations can be the cold weather and the shorter daylight being, in a sense, barriers to participation.

"In the real world, most of us are put in places in the winter where it's cold and the days are shorter. It places a greater demand upon ourselves to control our own behavior. So, it really means that you have to do more work to be active," Dzewaltowski said.

Dzewaltowski gave a few ways to stay motivated throughout the winter months, no matter what type of routine you prefer.

* The first step involves consciously putting more activity into your day. "You have to give a lot of thought to how to build in activities throughout the day," Dzewaltowski said. "You try to make active choices. Avoid using labor-saving devices. If there's an elevator or there are stairs, you try to take the stairs. If given the choice to drive around 15 minutes to look for a parking space, you just park in the first one that just happens to be a little farther away."

* Second, Dzewaltowski advises choosing an activity you will stick with. "Find an activity that you can continue throughout the winter months that can become habitual. What we find is that people who maintain exercise programs really maintain them on a habitual nature. It's the same time of the week, it's the same place, and while the same activity may suggest being somewhat boring, people tend to do the same sport."

* If you're exercising outdoors, you need to stay warm and dry. "Look for a way to do outdoor activities in an enjoyable, comfortable way. Invest the money to buy clothing that protects you from the cold. Now there are high-tech fabrics and materials that you can exercise in a comfortable manner in rain or in cold weather."

* If you choose to work out at home, there are a few things to keep in mind. "The positive aspect of home-based exercise equipment is that it's convenient," Dzewaltowski said. "It's there all the time for your use. The problem is, sometimes it's hard to build a habit if it's just around. So you really have to set yourself up an exercise room to make it a habit in your house. And then you have to spend the money to get fitness-club quality exercise equipment. A lot of the stuff you see advertised on TV and infomercials are the types of equipment that you're really not going to use on a long-term basis."

* For others, a membership to a fitness center may be a more attractive option. "In terms of going to a fitness club, one of the primary motivators of people's exercise is social interaction. If there are friends that you can talk to, that appears to be a good motivator. So that's an option in the winter time as well."

Finally, Dzewaltowski points out that people who don't choose a program that is right for them may be setting themselves up for failure.

"A lot of people will try to choose exercise they think they should do. They think exercise means vigorous exercise, three days a week, at a fitness center in the morning at 6:30. For some people that fits in with their lifestyle very well.

"In today's society where we've basically socially engineered activity out of the day, you're going to have to put some thought into how to build in activity in a way that can be successful. Certainly setting yourself up to think that you're going to maintain a program of 6:30 in the morning all winter long is basically setting yourself up for failure, unless that fits with your lifestyle or you look for chances to supplement that kind of behavior with other kinds of activities that you may be able to maintain," Dzewaltowski said.

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November 1997