mid-winter lazies

I have been battling with this conflict between my need to train and my desire to curl up and dream. The man-cat, Arthur, and the kitten, Jack Jack, have been no help whatsoever in this regard.

Even if you do not follow a Pagan or Heathen belief system, you will be familiar with the very common tendency to want to become introspective and inactive during the mid-winter period. It is how we follow the teachings of the seasons, winter representing  not so much a barrenness, but more a period of lying fallow, in preparation for the birth of new ideas and inspirations.

Especially for those of us who live in more temperate climes, where hot and sunny outweighs cold and snowy, it is a difficult time. We feed our horses with the sun, and so in winter, we tend to get up later in any case, because the horses aren't even near the stables for feeding before dawn.

The point that I'm trying to make in this oddly convoluted post of mine is that it is natural to have the mid-winter lazies. It's not actually laziness, but your body's way of listening to what the world around it is doing. So don't beat yourself up about it. I'm not going to. In my area, winter doesn't last all that long in any case, so I'm going to try to train in the afternoons, instead of first thing in the morning, and give myself plenty of time to warm up and focus.

Here is an article which also gives some tips on staying motivated if you have no option but to train in the morning during winter.

Whatever you do, though, try not to rely on more coffee to get you moving, since this affects your heart rate and can also dehydrate you more quickly. Go for the hot chocolate instead, and think of me!