I Cozy-fied My Winter Wellness Routine

At this point, the winter slump is kind of my bestie. As soon as the weather takes a dip, she comes knocking at my door, snatching away any semblance of motivation I once had. There are things I love about her, don’t get me wrong — her cozy vibe, the way everything seems to slow down when she’s around, my sudden affinity for soup. But this year, I’ve decided to draw some firmer boundaries.

I don’t want any and all regard for my health and fitness to go out the window just because it’s dark at 5 p.m. But staying regimented in the winter is hard, and it’s not just about the logistics of getting to the gym. According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, 43.9 percent of respondents delay exercise in winter. Likewise, a 2022 Noom survey found that exercise levels drop by as much as 37 percent for adults during winter months, with participants citing cold weather, darker days, difficulty getting out of bed, safety concerns, and lower energy levels as the main reasons why.

I agree that darker days and colder temperatures have a way of draining your energy. But how can we get it back? Surprisingly, the first step might actually be to embrace a bit of the slump. Enter: Cacti Wellness’s Cozy Club. This five-day program is specifically designed to make winter wellness feel a little easier, cozier, and more doable. Curious to see if “cozy-fying” my wellness routine would actually work, I decided to try it for myself. Here’s what I loved and learned for anyone else working through a winter slump.

Cozy Workouts

In order to fully cozy-fy my wellness routine, I had to first cozy-fy my workouts. That meant swapping my usual gym sessions (the ones I’d been prone to skipping this winter) for shorter, snackable routines I could do from home. As I started to build this new routine, I fell in love with the convenience and noticed myself feeling much more motivated to move my body.

I did everything from cozy core work to a fiery glute sculpt from the comfort of my mat, never once leaving the floor. I got a great burn from each of the cozy workout classes with minimal equipment (all I used was a resistance band and a light set of hand weights). My favorite was the seven-minute arm workout, which I may or may not have done in my PJs on more than one occasion. But even after I finished the Cozy Club program, it was nice to know I could turn to these workouts whenever I felt low on energy. Because truthfully, five minutes of core work is sometimes all I can emotionally handle. Transforming my workouts this way made fitness more accessible for the winter, helped me stay on track, and allowed me to feel productive even when the winter slump started to make its presence known.

Cozy Mindfulness

Long winter days can turn gloomy real quick. To prioritize my mental health and keep myself in a positive headspace throughout this experience, I integrated cozy journaling prompts into my morning routine. With direction from Cacti Wellness, I dove into my perfect slow morning routine, listed the things that brought me peace, and pinpointed the comfiest moments of my day. For the coziest results, I’d recommend giving yourself the time (and the proper ambience) to go deep. Wear your favorite sweater, sip your coffee, and set yourself up for success.

On the days I didn’t journal, I followed a guided meditation instead — one with positive affirmations and the other for manifesting confidence. Up until this point, I felt like I was just tweaking certain elements of my existing wellness routine for optimal coziness. But meditation is something I never really make time for on my own, and it made a big difference. After each session, I felt more confident, present, and grounded — a rarity in the middle of winter.

Cozy Takeaways

The world tells you to power through the winter slump, but cozy wellness encourages you to acknowledge it — embrace it, even. In cozy-fying my own regimen, I learned that it’s OK to slow down and change elements of your routine if they aren’t working for you anymore. While there are certain parts of my regular routine that I do still enjoy (going to the gym or getting outside for a hot girl walk, for example), cozy wellness reminded me that sometimes it’s better to evolve rather than push your limits. If you’re struggling with the winter slump, cozy wellness might be a good place to shake it off and start fresh . . . and it doesn’t hurt that you can do it all in your PJs.

Chandler Plante (she/her) is a social producer and staff writer for the Health & Fitness team at Popsugar. She has over five years of industry experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine, a social media manager for Millie magazine, and a contributor for Bustle Digital Group. She has a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and is based in Los Angeles.