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Heart Mag - November 2026: Winter-Proof Your Routine: Keep Moving Through the Colder Months

8 minutes ago
8 min read

Author: Jamie Pickett, Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Health Facilitator, & Founder of My Movement Medicine.

Free: 8 minute read

Category: Heart Mag, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Exercise, Community



 



Introduction

 

November is here, the clocks have changed and the colder, darker part of the year is beginning.

 

It is also almost one month since the expanded My Movement Medicine timetable started in Hampstead.

 

The first month has gone well. We have welcomed new members into sessions, seen familiar faces making use of the extra choice across the week, and started settling into the new five-session timetable at The Armoury.

 

That makes this a good time to look at what comes next.

 

Winter can make exercise routines harder to maintain. The evenings are darker, the weather becomes less predictable, social calendars get busier and Christmas gradually starts appearing in the diary.

 

The answer is not to wait until January and start again.

 

The better approach is to winter-proof the routine you already have.

 

This month’s Heart Mag looks at how to do that, shares a few My Movement Medicine service updates, confirms the Christmas timetable, gives you an early warning about our upcoming Christmas Movement Challenge, and catches up on the Exercise, Nutrition and Psychology guides published during October.

 


 

One month into the new timetable

 

The expanded Hampstead timetable began in October, giving members more opportunities to exercise across the week.

 

We are now running five sessions across four days:

 

  • Monday: 4:30 pm and 5:45 pm

  • Tuesday: 4:30 pm

  • Wednesday: 5:30 pm

  • Thursday: 4:30 pm

 

Hybrid options continue to make it possible for members to join selected sessions online when getting to Hampstead is not practical.

 

The first month has been encouraging. New session members have joined the community, healthcare referrals are continuing to come through, and the wider timetable is already giving people more flexibility when work, appointments or other commitments get in the way of their usual session.

 

That flexibility is important.

 

A good exercise routine should not collapse because one particular day stops working. Having another session available, an online option or a home backup plan makes consistency much easier.

 

 

 


 

Stay connected through the MMM WhatsApp Community

 

The My Movement Medicine WhatsApp Community is becoming an increasingly useful way to stay connected between sessions.

 

It brings together session updates, booking reminders, motivation, online and face-to-face groups, community activities and other My Movement Medicine news in one place.

 

If you have not joined yet, you are very welcome to.

 

 

The aim is not to fill your phone with messages. It is to make it easier to find the parts of the community that are useful to you and keep up with what is happening across the service.

 

 


 

Winter-proof your routine

 

Winter does not usually destroy an exercise routine in one dramatic moment.

 

It tends to chip away at it.

 

One evening is too dark. The next day it rains. Then there is a Christmas event, a busy week at work, a cold, a cancelled walk and suddenly two or three weeks have passed.

 

This is why the goal for winter should not be perfection.

 

It should be continuity.

 

You do not need every week to look identical. You need enough of the routine to remain intact that returning to normal never feels like starting from zero.

 

 

 

1. Decide what your minimum looks like

 

Most people know what a good week looks like when everything goes to plan.

 

But what does your difficult week look like?

 

If you normally attend two sessions, walk several times and complete some strength work, your winter minimum might be:

 

  • One structured exercise session

  • One short strength session at home

  • Two 15 to 20-minute walks

 

That may be less than your ideal week, but it preserves the habit.

 

A minimum is not the target forever. It is the version of your routine that can survive a busy or difficult period.

 

 

 

2. Have an indoor backup before you need one

 

If your entire exercise routine depends on dry weather and daylight, winter has too much control over it.

 

Your backup could be:

 

  • A live online My Movement Medicine session

  • A short home resistance-band routine

  • Ten to twenty minutes of body-weight strength work

  • An indoor walking route

  • An exercise bike, treadmill or other home equipment if available

  • A simple mobility and strength circuit

 

The important part is deciding in advance.

 

If the plan is “I will think of something else when the weather is bad”, there is still a decision to make at exactly the moment motivation is likely to be lowest.

 

Instead, decide:

 

“If I cannot do my usual outdoor activity, this is what I will do instead.”

 

 

 

3. Book exercise before the week gets busy

 

One of the easiest ways to protect exercise is to give it a place in the diary before everything else fills the space.

 

Choose your session at the beginning of the week.

 

If you know a Christmas meal, work event or appointment will clash with your usual time, book another session rather than writing the whole week off.

 

This is one of the main reasons we expanded the timetable.

 

More choice should make it easier to adapt rather than stop.

 

 

 

 

4. Respect the cold, especially if you have a heart condition

 

Cold weather changes the demands placed on the cardiovascular system.

 

When the body is cold, blood vessels narrow. This can increase blood pressure and heart rate, making the heart work harder. The British Heart Foundation notes that this extra strain can be more significant for people living with a heart condition, particularly during exercise.

 

 

This does not mean you need to stay indoors throughout winter.

 

It means adapting the plan to the conditions.

 

  • Wear several warm layers

  • Use suitable footwear with good grip when surfaces are wet or icy

  • Keep dry where possible

  • Start gradually rather than rushing straight into a hard effort

  • Choose an indoor option on particularly cold, windy or slippery days

  • Use your usual talk test, effort guidance and individual exercise advice

 

The NHS also advises people who are more vulnerable to cold weather, including those with long-term health conditions, to keep warm and take extra care during winter.

 

 

If you have angina, you may notice that cold weather affects your symptoms. Keep GTN available if it has been prescribed and use it exactly as instructed.

 

If you have been given individual exercise advice by your cardiac rehabilitation or medical team, that advice takes priority.

 

Stop exercising if you develop chest pain, dizziness, unusual or severe breathlessness, concerning palpitations or another warning symptom. For a suspected heart attack or other life-threatening emergency, call 999.

 

 

 

5. Do not let shorter days become shorter movement

 

It is easy to become less active without noticing when daylight disappears earlier.

 

A walk that happened naturally after work in June may suddenly feel much less appealing in November.

 

Try moving activity to another part of the day:

 

  • Walk at lunchtime rather than after work

  • Take a short morning walk

  • Use part of a commute for walking

  • Break one longer walk into two shorter periods

  • Use indoor movement when daylight or conditions are poor

 

UK physical activity guidance continues to recommend regular aerobic activity alongside muscle-strengthening work on at least two days each week for adults.

 

 

The exact amount and intensity should always be appropriate to your health, fitness and individual circumstances.

 

 

 

Your November challenge: build your winter backup plan

 

This month’s challenge is deliberately simple.

 

Before winter properly arrives, write down three versions of your routine:

 

  1. Your normal week: what you aim to do when everything goes well.

  2. Your busy week: the minimum amount of exercise you want to protect when life gets crowded.

  3. Your bad-weather week: the indoor or alternative options you can use when your usual plan is not practical.

 

Then put the backup somewhere you can actually find it.

 

You should not need to invent your winter plan in the middle of a dark, wet Thursday evening.

 

 

 

Christmas timetable

 

We are also starting to look ahead to the Christmas break.

 

The last My Movement Medicine group session before Christmas will be Thursday the 17th of December 2026.

 

Sessions will then return on Monday the 4th of January 2027 for the first sessions of the new year.

 

There is no need to panic about losing fitness over the break, and there will certainly be no message about having to “earn” Christmas food through exercise.

 

Instead, the aim will be to keep a little movement and routine going while also enjoying the break.

 

 

 

Something is coming for December...

 

This year we will be running a My Movement Medicine Christmas Movement Challenge.

 

The challenge will help keep some structure going between our final session on the 17th of December and our return on the 4th of January.

 

It will not be about:

 

  • Burning off Christmas dinner

  • Exercising every day

  • Huge step targets

  • Trying to lose weight over Christmas

  • Feeling guilty if you take time off

 

It will be about keeping some movement, strength and routine in the week with a simple, flexible challenge that can fit around Christmas.

 

More details will follow in December.

 

 

 

Looking for more individual support?

 

Alongside the My Movement Medicine C.I.C. group timetable, private 1-to-1 Clinical Exercise Physiology sessions are also available.

 

These can be useful if you would benefit from a more individual approach to:

 

  • Returning to exercise after illness, injury or rehabilitation

  • Managing a long-term health condition

  • Building strength, balance or confidence

  • Working around pain or movement limitations

  • Developing a personalised exercise programme

  • Progressing towards independent exercise

 

Sessions can be built around your individual goals, current ability and relevant health considerations.

 

If you are interested in 1-to-1 support, you can get in touch through My Movement Medicine for more information.

 

 

 

In case you missed it: October on My Movement Medicine

 

October was a busy month for the website, with four new pieces covering the service itself, strength, nutrition and psychology.

 

Heart Mag - October 2026: One Year as a CIC

 

October’s Heart Mag marked one year since My Movement Medicine became a Community Interest Company and looked at the expanded timetable, the role of lived experience and the next stage of the service.

 

 

Exercise - October 2026: Stronger for Longer

 

This Exercise Guide looked at why strength training becomes increasingly important as we get older, including muscle loss, independence, cardiovascular health and practical ways to start resistance exercise.

 

 

Nutrition - October 2026: Protein as You Age

 

The Nutrition Guide explored protein throughout adulthood, from building and maintaining muscle in your 30s and 40s through to protecting strength, recovery and independence later in life.

 

 

Psychology - October 2026: What Are You a Slave To?

 

The latest Psychology Guide asks what habits may have quietly gained more control than we intended, from phones and caffeine to food, work, television, alcohol and other quick rewards.

 

It looks at triggers, automatic behaviour, the cost of habits and practical ways to remove, reduce or replace a pattern, while recognising when professional support may be more appropriate.

 

 

 

 

Looking ahead to 2027

 

The immediate priority is to keep building on the first month of the expanded timetable and continue helping new and existing members find a routine that works for them.

 

There is plenty more planned for My Movement Medicine as we move towards 2027, including developing referral pathways, strengthening the community around the service and continuing to build practical exercise and health resources.

 

But the focus remains the same.

 

We want to make appropriate exercise easier to access, easier to understand and easier to continue for the long term.

 

 

 

Summary

 

Winter does not need to mean stopping and starting again in January.

 

A stronger approach is to adapt.

 

Protect a minimum routine. Have an indoor backup. Book exercise before the week gets busy. Respect cold conditions and adapt activity when needed.

 

And when Christmas arrives, keep enough movement in the week that returning in January feels familiar rather than starting again.

 

The new My Movement Medicine timetable has had an encouraging first month. Now the goal is to carry that momentum through winter.

 

You do not need a perfect winter routine. You need one that can survive winter.

 

 

 

Useful links

 

 

 

 

 

References and useful links

 

 

 

 

 

 


 






This health guide was written by Jamie Pickett, Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Health Facilitator, & Founder of My Movement Medicine & My Movement Medicine C.I.C.







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