Here it is. Another lockdown, but this one is different. This time we’re facing the cold, which can make it difficult to commit ourselves to a fitness routineâ?¦ but not impossible.

During that first lockdown in the spring of 2020 our days were filled with bright sunshine and long hours, which got us outside of our walls to go on daily walks, runs or cycling trips.

Now that the island’s second lockdown is taking place in winter it can be a struggle to get out of bed, let alone expose ourselves to the cold elements beyond our snug interiors.

We might also be feeling a total lack of motivation after having our hopes of starting our New Year’s resolutions inside a warm gym or class studio setting dashed.

A dip in motivation during this season is completely natural. However, staying active is vital to our physical and mental health, especially when it comes to aiding our immune system in the winter months and during a pandemic.

To put it positively, there are a bunch of ways in which you can keep your fitness levels up during lockdown - including accessing a plethora of fitness classes being livestreamed each day by local and global instructors.

Here is some guidance and fitness class information to help you during this lockdown:

l Set specific goals and create a routine

Goals need to be realistic and broken down into easy targets, otherwise they are bound to fail. Maybe start every morning by doing at least 10 minutes of stretches. Stretching is important for keeping your muscles flexible, preventing muscle injury, helping joints and back pain and more. It activates the body and often I find that the earlier I move my body, the more eager I am to exercise later in the day.

Other ideas could be simply doing 15 sit ups and squats first thing in the morning every day and increasing this number slightly over time.

Maybe you’ve always wanted to do press ups on your toes, achieve a difficult yoga pose or do a handstand. As always, the internet is a good source for information on how to achieve these goals. It’s up to you on how you pace yourself to gradually reach that milestone.

Perhaps getting into the practice of running is something you’re more interested in.

Some runners suggest jogging for 10-15 minutes before increasing this also throughout the week, rather than focusing on the mileage.

This allows you to enjoy the experience more instead of constantly worrying whether you’ll reach the target distance.

Most importantly, reflect on the week to see what worked and what didn’t work for you. Make some changes if necessary.

We are also spoilt for choice when it comes to live exercise classes at the moment.

For instance, Fitness 360’s class instructors are holding regular Zoom classes every week.

l Have someone help motivate you

We all struggle with self-motivation at times, but the good news is there are great ways to keep in contact with friends and fitness instructors to encourage you over lockdown.

Set challenges with a buddy by using Strava - a running and cycling tracking app - to show your progress or to race them.

If you’re part of a sports team, see what members are getting up to or even create a workout challenge with them.

l Lastly - stop being so hard on yourself.

It will be unlikely that you will achieve the same things as you had done in the previous lockdown due to the different weather conditions as well as different personal factors coming into play.

Going for a walk or run in the sleet and bitter Manx winds takes a lot of mental endurance.

Winter is calling us humans to slow down from our usual busy lifestyles and it’s good for our bodies to rest at times.

The trick is to do little and often if you are finding it a struggle to keep active this lockdown.

Although Cycle 360’s gym, studio and café is temporarily closed, our bike shop remains open with our sales team and mechanical repair staff on hand to help keen cyclists or those looking to start.

List of Fitness 360’s online classes:

Pilates and Yoga classes with Sanchia Ferreria:

Monday 5.15pm (Pilates), Tuesday 5.15pm (Yoga), Wednesday 12pm (Pilates), Thursday 5.15pm (Pilates)

Follow @be_well_with_sanchia on Instagram or @sanchiaferreiraphysio on Facebook for details.

Virtual Fitness with Angela Leonard:

Monday 10.30am (Kettlebells), Wednesday 10:30am (Legs, glutes and abs), Saturday 10.30am (Sculpt)

Angela’s classes are free, but donations are greatly appreciated.

Zoom Meeting ID: 6776864367, Password: 103185

Virtual Fitness classes with Keisha Hewison:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday 7am (Breakfast Bootcamp), Monday 6pm (Legs, Bums and Tums), Wednesday 6pm (AMRAPs and EMOMs), Friday 6pm (Bodyweight High intensity Interval Training)

Follow @kikinetic_fitness on Instagram or Facebook.

If you don’t have the right equipment for home workouts, get creative.

Get a rucksack of items for the bootcamp sessions with Keisha, use tins in your kitchen cupboard and pretend their dumbbells.

I recently used a bath towel as an alternative mat during a live class.

Email [email protected] or follow @fitness360isleofman on Instagram for daily updates on virtual classes and more.