Opinion: Cold weather makes motivation hard

Sonya Bateson at Mount Main Beach after a winter sunrise walk around Mauao.

Ah, winter.

'Tis the season of being a hermit, where the mind naturally strays towards everything warmth and comfort, and motivation goes out the window.

It's the time of year that when offered the choice between going for a walk outside on a sunny day or staying inside a gloomy but warm house, the comfort often wins out.

No wonder seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression, affects so many people. Symptoms start in autumn and continue into winter, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

Winter binge eating is a real issue for many people, especially when exercise also becomes a struggle.

It's not unusual to come out of winter with a few extra kilograms of "insulation" from all the comfort eating.

Darker mornings and earlier evenings play a huge part in this - none but the most dedicated of exercise junkies will be beating the streets before dawn or after dusk, so the rest of us have to either fit a workout around our workday or join a gym to visit after hours.

I freely admit that I'm one of those who struggle to keep fit in winter and have found the only thing that works is to create a routine and stick to it, no matter what.

I'm up at 5am every workday to do a session of yoga and, every Wednesday, join a walking group for a sunrise mission around Mauao. Whenever it's dry, I walk to work.

My colleagues also have good methods for staying active in the colder months.

One says she sleeps in her gym gear and always exercises with a friend.

Another says she can't find motivation unless there's a team commitment, people she may let down by not turning up.

A fitness tracker watch has been a magical motivational gadget for one colleague.

Financial motivation works for another colleague - she pays for an expensive gym membership and knows she's wasting a big chunk of money if she doesn't go.

Staying active through the winter months can be hard, but skipping it altogether is harder in the long run.

Your body will thank you.