How to get your fitness back on track as winter sets in, according to a personal trainer

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By SOPHIE HINES, LIFESTYLE & DIGITAL EDITOR Updated: 07:04 12 Oct 2026

With shorter days, colder mornings, and the summer holiday buzz well and truly in the rear-view mirror, many of us find that motivation to exercise takes a sharp nose-dive at this time of year.

As autumn gets into full swing, dark evenings and rainy downpours make bedding down on the sofa far more tempting than hitting the gym floor.

However, fitness experts suggest that giving up until the new year is a big mistake when it comes to exercise – after all, consistency is everything. According to Max Thompson, a personal trainer at David Lloyd Clubs, autumn is actually the single best time to build sustainable workout habits – provided you approach your training with the right mindset.

Instead of pushing yourself to extremes with brutal cardio sessions or punishing lifting routines, the key to surviving the October slump lies in manageable regularity, he says. Here, Thompson shares his expert guidance on how to re-energise your autumn workouts…

When returning to exercise after a lull, the most common trap people fall into is trying to resume at the exact same intensity they could manage before. This sudden leap leads to overwhelming muscle soreness, burnout, or injury – which might mean you give up altogether.

‘If your exercise routine has slipped over summer, avoid putting pressure on yourself to immediately return to your previous frequency or intensity,’ Thompson explains. ‘It’s not laziness, but usually that your external motivation and structures are gone. No more light evenings, no more holiday motivation and it’s starting to get cold and rainy.’

‘Start with a manageable full-body session using compound movements such as squats, lunges, rows and presses, which work multiple muscle groups at once,’ he advises. ‘Keep the weight comfortable and focus on good form before gradually increasing the challenge.’

The belief that every single trip to the gym must leave you completely exhausted is another major barrier during the colder months. Your energy levels are naturally lower during the grey, cold months, and this is when intense workouts can feel so daunting that you give up before you even step through the gym door.

Thompson emphasizes that showing up regularly matters far more than pushing your physical limits in every session. ‘Aim for two or three sessions across the week, mixing strength training with lower-impact movement such as walking, swimming, or cycling,’ he says. This is significantly more effective for long-term health than one ultra-intense workout followed by days of recovery.

To ensure your workout sessions actually happen, treat them with the same level of commitment as an important professional or personal obligation.

‘I tell my clients to put the gym in their diary like it’s a meeting because if it’s not booked, it doesn’t happen,’ Thompson advises. ‘Add it onto something you already do. I’ve had clients train straight after the school run because there’s less decision making involved.’

If the thought of lifting weights or running on a treadmill feels tedious, autumn is the perfect time to explore mind-body disciplines like yoga or Pilates. These structured classes offer a welcoming, warm environment while helping to rebuild baseline strength and core stability.

‘If your usual gym routine has started to feel stale, try a structured but lower-impact class instead,’ suggests Thompson. ‘Yoga or Mat Pilates can help reintroduce regular movement while working on strength, flexibility, balance, and mobility.’

In addition to physical benefits, group fitness classes provide that much-needed accountability. ‘Having a class booked into your diary gives you a set of time to show up rather than relying on motivation on the day,’ Thompson points out.

Between a busy working schedule, family commitments, and all those winter get-togethers, it’s unsurprising that fitness routines can be put on the back-burner. Rather than abandoning exercise altogether in these situations, having a short fallback workout keeps momentum going.

‘Busy days don’t have to mean abandoning exercise altogether,’ Thompson explains. ‘Having a simple 20-minute routine of four or five exercises you can turn to when you’re short on time can help keep the habit going.’

A quick session containing bodyweight squats, push-ups, glute bridges and a core hold takes minimal time and can be done at home.

Vague goals like ‘getting fit’ or ‘losing weight’ rarely offer enough drive to pull you out of a warm bed on a chilly winter morning. Instead, what you need are concrete, trackable goals.

‘Instead of setting yourself the broad goal of ‘getting fit again’, choose something specific that you can gradually improve,’ Thompson advises. ‘This could be increasing the weight you can comfortably squat, building up the number of press-ups you can complete, swimming an extra length or increasing your walking, running or cycling distance.

‘Having a tangible goal gives your workouts a purpose,’ Thompson concludes, ‘and makes it easier to recognise your progress over time.’

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