Have you seen my motivation??

Winter does crazy things to me. It makes me feel like there are at least 23,849,732 things I’d rather do than run or submit to exercise of any kind. It’s almost as though winter has completely stifled my will to be anything but a couch potato. Then again, knowing my fate is running on a spinning belt in the basement may have something to do with it.

The summer me would shake her finger at the winter me, what with my affinity for the couch, sweat pants and snuggly socks instead of technical tees, merry outdoor jaunts and stretchy running tights. All I want to do is snack on roasted almonds while watching a mindless reality show; where’s the crime in that?

Last year, we dropped our moderately-priced memberships to the YMCA and instead invested in home exercise equipment and a treadmill. We’ll work out at home, we said while the sun wasn’t setting at 5 PM and snow was just a distant memory. Now, I drive home in the dark and despite Rudi’s whines at the sight of my running shoes, I begrudgingly head to the basement to submit to a 45-minute spin on the treadmill if the mood hits me. If I said it hasn’t gotten old, I’d be a big ol’ liar.

Exercise is a funny thing; it seems like an awful task until you get started. Memories of how good it makes you feel and look come flooding back almost immediately, causing you to wonder why you avoided it in the first place. It’s the getting there that becomes the difficult part, especially when it means heading below ground to your home’s basement.

Living in a locale where sidewalks are non-existent and the speed limit is 55 MPH also tends to cramp my style in the winter months. I mean, when it’s dark and snowy outside, I place a priority on my life rather than how muscular my calves will look in my fab new shoes at this year’s Christmas party. When desperation gets the best of me, I throw on my reflective vest, pack up the dog and we drive “into town” where they have technological advances like street lights and sidewalks. What in tarnation are them fancy things?!?

Truthfully, when the conditions are just right, running in the cool winter’s night is a spectacular outing. The Christmas lights are glowing, the air is nice and crisp and we have the well-lit sidewalks to ourselves. My sweet Rudi dog also proves to be an excellent navigator on these trips, ensuring both she and I avoid patches of ice with the greatest of ease. We operate like a well-oiled machine, watching carefully for cars and leaping after squirrels and cats when they cross our path. Nothing compares, however, to our daily jaunts in the warmer months that keep us both in the greatest of shape.

So, for now we’ll daydream about how nice a springtime run will feel from the couch while watching the Hills. Care for a roasted almond?