I’ve talked a lot about overcoming illness and becoming more active, but I’ve recently realized that I’ve been speaking from a fairly healthy space, and that perspective can be quite different from trying to be active while still feeling unwell.

It’s easy to say just do it when you feel pretty good. It’s a lot more difficult when you don’t feel good.

I’ve been fighting some crud for the last month, and it’s affected my willingness and desire to get outside. If it was summer (or spring or fall), it wouldn’t be quite such a fight, but it’s winter and we’re actually experiencing cold weather (we had a mild winter last year, but have already gotten snow this year).

Under the weather + cold temps = blech

Because I was so sick, I went two weeks without any hikes or exercise. I even skipped a race I’d registered for, which has only happened a couple times.

After about two weeks of feeling crummy I finally felt a smidge better, so in the interest of practicing what I preach, I decided to put a little more effort into being active. Well, that and I’d registered for another race and wasn’t sure I was up for it. The day before the race, the kids and I went for a hike that left me winded, wishing I was in bed, and seriously wondering if I had bronchitis.

As bad as I felt during that hike, I actually felt halfway decent the next morning. So despite temps in the 20’s and an unseasonably early snowstorm (ok, storm is a bit of an exaggeration, but it was snowing), I ran my 5k. It wasn’t my fastest 5k, but it also wasn’t my slowest.

Two weeks later, I’ve mostly kicked the crud, but it still takes extra effort to do anything that requires exertion. I haven’t spent any time on the treadmill or my bike, though we have done four hikes. To be honest, the only reason we’ve done that many hikes is because we’re close to the end of the year and the only way we can reach our goal of 52 hikes for the year is to play catch up.

I’ve also gone for one run outside, but it only happened because I was meeting my friend Crystal. If I wasn’t meeting her, I would have rolled over and gone back to sleep in my warm bed, rather than go running in sub-freezing temps.

So, here’s 5 tips to staying active in the winter even when you don’t feel well.

1. Goals are good!

My goal of running one race every month pushed me to run the race in the snow, since I knew I wouldn’t have another chance to run a race this month.

My goal of completing 52 hikes this year pushed me to hit the trails with the kiddos and to catch up on our missed hikes. I hit 365 miles at the end of July, so while I’m still tallying miles, I’m not in danger of missing that particular goal.

2. Accountability is also good

Since I was meeting my friend, I knew I couldn’t let her down by rolling over and going back to sleep. If I had planned a run on my own, I totally would have skipped it. In fact, its happened many more times than I’d like to admit.

For those who like online accountability, both the 365 mile challenge and the 52 hike challenge I’ve participated in this year have Facebook groups where you can report your progress and find others to cheer you on and lift you up.

3. Proper clothing can make or break the experience

When I ran the 5k in the snow, I dressed more warmly than usual. I’ve run in colder weather with fewer layers, but since I was sick, I opted to dress warmer. Not so warm that I’d sweat too much and get chilled while walking (which I knew would happen at various points in the race), but warm enough that I never felt like I was freezing. Being too cold while not feeling well just makes me feel worse, so I aimed for a happy medium, which I achieved.

Hiking with kiddos in cold weather requires proper layering as well, so we’ve unearthed (and updated) our winter gear. One thing still on the list: better mittens for the boys. I’m still debating between Veyo Mittyz and Stonz Mittz, but either way, I want something that’s longer than run-of-the-mill mittens and won’t slip off too easily.

4. Don’t try to do too much too quickly

Too many times I’ve been overly optimistic about my health and abilities and have ended up feeling worse after a workout that was too long and/or intense. I’m finally learning to be more conservative, and did not make myself sicker this time around because I went shorter distances and didn’t push myself as hard.

Our hikes have been just over a mile each, rather than the longer ones I prefer. I walked a good portion of the race and the run with my friend instead of trying to see how far I could run. This means I went slow and walked when I needed to. I was still tired at the end, but I wasn’t exhausted and feeling awful. That’s a win in my book.

5. Open up your schedule

One thing that made all the above tips work well was that we weren’t rushed for time. I’ve found that when I’m rushed, it’s more difficult to stay calm and maintain a slower pace. Taking things at a slower pace is a necessity when I’m not feeling well. Bundling up the kiddos takes time, as does peeling all those layers back off. It takes even longer when you have to do it multiple times if you have a potty training toddler like I currently do. Both the hikes and the runs were slow, almost leisurely, and we weren’t trying to go a long distance in a short amount of time. What could have been stressful and made me sicker, ended up being a fairly enjoyable experience.

Do you have any other helpful hints that I didn’t mention?