Winter rut stuck? Here’s your reset

This issue, Alexandra Beck reframes February training as an act of continuity, not motivation.

Photograph: Pexels / Burst

Text: Alexandra Beck

By February, winter has usually lost its charm.

The festive lights are gone, the social buzz has quietened, and spring still feels like a rumour someone started to keep us hopeful. The days are short, the air is cold, and motivation feels… negotiable.

This is what I call the mid-winter slump. Not dramatic, not alarming – just a slow drain of energy, enthusiasm and momentum that sneaks up on a lot of people.

And no, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed at your January intentions.

It means you’re human.

After years of coaching people through Copenhagen winters – and living through them myself – I’ve learned that February isn’t the month to push harder. It’s the month to get smarter.

Here’s how I outsmart the slump, without turning life into a self-improvement project.

First: stop taking the slump personally

Low energy in mid-winter is not a character flaw. It’s a predictable response to darkness, cold, disrupted routines and accumulated stress.

By February, most people have been “holding it together” for months. Work has been busy, social calendars were full, December was indulgent, January was demanding, and suddenly there’s very little novelty left to lean on.

This is not the moment to ask yourself why you’re not more motivated.

It’s the moment to reduce friction.

Keep movement simple and familiar

When energy is low, complexity becomes the enemy.

February is not the month for reinventing your training, chasing new goals, or testing your willpower. It’s the month for returning to what you already know works.

For me, that means familiar movement, predictable sessions and training that leaves me feeling better when I walk out than when I walked in.

Strength training is particularly powerful here. It’s grounding. It’s structured. It gives you a clear beginning, middle and end. There’s something deeply reassuring about moving weight with control when the rest of life feels a bit grey.

You don’t need longer sessions. You don’t need harder sessions. You need repeatable ones.

Use routine as an anchor, not a prison

One of the biggest mistakes I see in winter is people abandoning routine entirely because life feels heavy – or clinging to it so rigidly that it becomes another stressor.

The sweet spot sits in between.

I keep my regular training appointments because they take decision-making out of the equation. I don’t have to ask myself if I’ll train today, only how much I have to give.

Some days that’s a strong session. On other days, it’s simply showing up and moving.

Both count.

Routine in winter isn’t about discipline. It’s about conserving mental energy.

Focus on how movement affects your head, not your body

In February, I rarely train for aesthetics or performance.

I train for clarity.

Movement is one of the fastest ways I know to reset my nervous system. It lifts brain fog, improves sleep, and gives me a sense of agency when the world outside feels dark and still.

The physical results will come – they always do – but the immediate return on investment is mental.

If you reframe training as something that helps you think, cope and breathe a little deeper, it becomes far easier to protect.

Lower the bar for “success”

Winter has a way of turning all-or-nothing thinking up a notch.

If I can’t do a full session, what’s the point?

If I’ve missed a week, I’ve blown it.

If I’m tired, I should wait until I feel better.

February is not impressed by that logic.

This is the month to celebrate consistency that bends. Shorter sessions. Lighter loads. Fewer expectations. More kindness.

Training that adapts keeps going. Training that demands perfection usually doesn’t.

Remember: this season passes

One of the most useful things I remind myself – and my clients – every February is that this is a season, not a verdict.

Energy returns. Light comes back - motivation shifts. The work you do now is not about transformation. It’s about continuity.

Staying in the game.

Outsmarting the mid-winter slump doesn’t require grit or hype. It requires calm structure, realistic expectations and the confidence to do less, better.

And when spring arrives – as it always does – you’ll be glad you kept moving, even quietly.

That, in my experience, is how strength for life is built.