It is easy to pile on the excuses for not exercising: “It's too cold”; “I'm too tired”; “It's too dark”; “It's the Christmas holidays so I'm bound to pile on the pounds anyway”.

    At this time of year you are probably feeling exhausted.

    However, you could actually do with maintaining rather than reducing your efforts because you are going to need all the energy you can get to cope with the demands of the new year.

    I'm too tired

    Although it feels like the last thing you need, exercise increases the levels of oxygen in your body and stimulates the nervous and digestive systems which, in turn, will raise your energy levels significantly. While intensive training will make you feel tired, moderate levels will give you a positive boost. Focus on cardiovascular exercise in 30-minute sessions, and try to stay within a relatively comfortable zone, say seven out of ten - on a scale where 1 equals being totally at rest and 10 is being completely exhausted.

    For your resistance training, try changing your routine a bit if you have been doing heavy-strength work, and focus on circuit training- type sessions, which give you a general workout.

    Too cold, too dark

    If you can't summon up much enthusisam for exercising outdoors, perhaps you can use the daylight hours, in your luncbreak if necessary. If you usually exercise for 60 minutes, it's fine to cut it back to 30 for now. Or why not try exercising at home? You can do the latter with a simple routine that alternates between the upper and lower body in a circuit, such as press-ups, squats and lunges. This approach to exercise raises heart rate and works the entire body well. Or you might concentrate on key areas, such as your tummy. It's not always easy to do a full routine at home if you don't feel motivated or your surroundings don't feel quite right, but you could focus on doing a 10 to 15-minute routine for the stomach, combining exercises for all parts of the waist. For more on the exercises, go to timesonline.co.uk/dietandfitness .

    Try something new

    If you usually run or cycle or play tennis, try a new activity that can be done throughout the winter, such as swimming. The change in routine is good for mind and body. If you swim now, you could enter a duathlon (swim and cycle, or swim and run) in spring and build towards a triathlon later in the year.

    Get on with it

    If you procrastinate until the new year, you are making your task harder when it arrives. Stop-start exercise plays havoc with your metabolism and nullifies any gains. The increased calorie intake and partying are all the more reason for building some form of routine.

    We are all fighting our own recessionary battles, but if you feel fit, healthy and focused enough you can win them faster and be more than ready for when things get better.

    我们很容易找到成堆的借口不去锻炼：“太冷了”；“我太累了”；“天太黑了”；“现在是圣诞节假日，所以不管怎样我注定要增肥了”。

    一年中的这个时候你大概会感到精疲力尽。

    然而，你实际上应该坚持而不是减少你的努力，因为你需要全部的精力去应对新的一年的需求。

    我太累了。

    纵然你感觉锻炼是你最不需要的事情，但锻炼可以提高你体内的氧气含量并刺激神经和消化系统，从而很大程度的提升身体的能量。尽管强化训练会让你感觉到累，然而适度等级的训练会让你的能量得到积极的提升。把精力集中于30分钟阶段的心脏血管锻炼，设法让自己停留在相对舒适圈，从1到10中说出7个数-说第一个时完全静止，到10时就完全精疲力尽了。

    如果你一直从事高强度的工作，那么对于你的健体训练，试着改变一点常规，将精力集中于周期性的训练，它将会让你得到整体的锻炼。

    太冷了，太黑了。

    如果你对户外运动没有太多热情的话，也许你可以在午休时间利用白天的时间锻炼一下。如果你通常锻炼60分钟，现在可以缩短到30分钟。或者何不试着在家锻炼？对于后者你可以遵从一个简单的循环例程：身体上半部分和下半部分交替锻炼，比如说做俯卧撑，蹲下，跳远。这种锻炼方法可以提高心率，对全身有益。或者你可以集中锻炼主要部位，比如说胃。如果你没有足够的动力或周围环境不太适合的话，通常很难在家做完整的锻炼例程。但你可以用10到15分钟集中锻炼胃，结合腰部的锻炼。关于更多的锻炼信息，请到timesonline.co.uk/dietandfitness查阅 .

    尝试一些新花样。

    如果你经常跑步或做循环锻炼或打网球，那么尝试一下可以在冬天做的新的运动，比如说游泳。锻炼例程的改变有益身心。如果现在你现在坚持游泳，你还可以在春天进行两项锻炼（游泳加循环锻炼，或者游泳加跑步），然后在一年中之后的时间同时做三项锻炼。

    行动起来吧！

    如果你想一直耽搁到新的一年，那么当它到来时你的任务会更难。三天打渔两天晒网的锻炼会对新陈代谢造成严重破坏，并且前功尽弃。热量的不断摄入和参加派对都是让你建立某种锻炼例程的因素。

    我们都在同我们身体的衰退做斗争，但如果你感觉舒适，健康并且能够做到足够集中的话，就可以更快的赢得胜利，而且当情况变得更好时，我们的身体也会更健康。