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Winter Arc: What Is It?

Winter Arc is a season of focused, personal growth that runs through late fall and winter. This challenge was popularized on TikTok and Instagram and encourages “locking in” on a handful of wellness habits tailored to your personal goals. In this post, I break down what the winter arc is, who it’s for, how to build your own plan and whether it’s actually sustainable. 

Quick Links:

• Benefits
• Building a Personal Winter Arc
• Habit Tracker PDF
• Are There Any Drawbacks?
• Is It Sustainable?

Lock in to level up: The winter arc is the new standard of setting fitness goals and wellness habits, and it’s got my full stamp of approval as a certified personal trainer. 

This fitness trend may have started as a TikTok fad, but it’s grown into a successful movement that helps participants to stay consistent when motivation typically dips around the holiday season. 

The winter arc phrase came from Gen Z culture on TikTok and is a spin on the idea of a “character arc” or journey a character goes through during a season of a TV show or movie. Being “in your winter arc” simply means you’re on a journey of self-improvement over the colder months of the year. You commit to accomplishing your defined goals most days, track them visibly, and progress slightly each week. It’s about consistency over perfection! 

Most people follow it for around 12 weeks from October 1st – January 1st. Unlike rigid, one-size-fits-all challenges, the winter arc is designed to be customizable: you choose 3-5 healthy habits to focus on that match your personal goals.  

Although there are no set goals or rules you must follow during the winter arc challenge, most people choose new habits that prioritize:

• Training (regular workouts, step goals) 
• Recovery (sleep goals, stretching/mobility)
• Nutrition (protein, fiber, hydration)
• Mindset (journaling, gratitude, devotionals, breathwork) 
• Lifestyle (screen-time limits, morning routines, skincare routines,  limiting alcohol, learning/education)

The idea behind the winter arc trend is simple: Choose a few realistic goals that will improve your quality of life, repeat them daily for several weeks and track your progress. This combination improves consistency, strength, energy and confidence – and means you’ll start the New Year feeling like an upgraded version of yourself with consistent habits already locked in place.

Benefits

There are many reasons why the winter arc trend has been so popular:

• Combines Structure with Flexibility: Unlike structured challenges like “75 Hard” or “Whole30,” the winter arc is designed to be tailored to your specific goals, fitness level and needs. With the winter arc plan, you still set specific daily and weekly goals, but the exact habits are customizable to your needs.
• Encourages Holistic Wellness: Most winter arc routines include physical, mental and professional or personal development goals, making it a well-rounded challenge for overall health and well-being.
• Fits the Habit-Forming Window: Research suggests it takes 2-3 months to build a sustainable habit (National Library of Medicine). The 90-day winter arc is the perfect amount of time to create real changes in your lifestyle.
• Provides Head Start on New Year’s Resolutions: Rather than waiting for one day at the start of the year to make a change, the winter arc mindset focuses on implementing sustainable wellness practices over an extended period of self-improvement and personal reflection. When January rolls around and gyms get crowded, you’re not starting from zero because you’ve been building momentum for months. 
• Reframes Winter Blues: Many people struggle with feeling a lack of motivation during winter months (the “winter blues”) or suffer from more serious seasonal depression. The winter arc can help shift your mindset to seeing winter as an opportunity to grow, learn and invest in yourself rather than just a time for hibernation or isolation. Daily movement, skill-building and mindfulness rituals found in the winter arc challenge can all help increase dopamine and serotonin, reducing the risk of seasonal affective disorder.

Building a Personal Winter Arc

To build your own personal winter arc plan, download this free Winter Arc Habit Tracker PDF to measure your progress. Then, choose 3-5 habits to focus on for the next 12 weeks, prioritizing your personal goals and growth areas. 

I recommend choosing winter arc goals from different categories or types of wellness, such as:

• Exercise (Example: 30 minutes daily or 4 workouts/week).
• Daily Steps (Example: 8K steps/day). 
• Sleep (Example: 7-8 hours of sleep/night).
• Nutrition (Example: 30 grams of protein at each meal, limit fast food, choose mocktails over cocktails, increase fiber intake). 
• Water Intake (Example: 2-3 liters of water/day or add electrolytes to your water).
• Learning/Development (Example: Read for 15 minutes/day, take continuing education credits, listen to a new podcast every week).
• Mindfulness/Mental Health (Example: Limit social media/screen time, self-care routines, journal, devotionals, meditations).

My top tip for setting yourself up for success is to start with small, more achievable “wins” or habits to build consistency. For example, if you’re a fitness beginner looking to workout more often, set an initial goal of walking for 20 minutes 3 times per week. As you build strength and confidence, you can add on to your goals to make them more challenging.

Sample Routine

There are many different ways you could structure your own winter arc routine. Here are 2 different examples tailored to slightly different goals: 

Beginner Winter Arc Routine:

• Workouts: 20-minute workouts 3 days/week (focusing on functional strength training, low-impact cardio and pilates).
• Hydration: Drink 8 cups of water/day.
• Nutrition: Eat 30 grams of protein at breakfast.
• Education: Read 10 pages/day.

Advanced Winter Arc Routine:

• Workouts: 30-minute workouts 5/days a week (focused on progressive overload) and walk 8K steps/day.
• Hydration: Drink 1 gallon of water/day.
• Nutrition: Eat 30 grams of protein at each meal, cut out alcohol and limit processed foods. 
• Education: Read 15 pages/day and complete daily gratitude journaling. 
• Cold Exposure: Perform outdoor walks or cold plunge 4 times/week.

Are There Any Drawbacks?

In general, the winter arc is a well-rounded, customizable and sustainable challenge. However, there are some potential drawbacks: 

• Winter Energy Levels: In the northern hemisphere, winter means short days and longer nights. This can naturally result in lower energy levels and motivation. 
• Comparison Trap: The winter arc is incredibly popular on social media – which means it can be easy to compare your journey to someone else’s without knowing their background, experience or capacity. 
• Burnout: If you set too extreme of goals initially, it may be hard to stay consistent, leading to a loss of motivation and decreasing the likelihood of successfully completing the winter arc challenge. 
• Risk of Injury: The “all or nothing” mindset can lead people to go from being sedentary to attempting intense workouts 7 days a week. Instead, focus on a slow and sustainable ramp-up of workout duration and intensity to reduce risk of injury.

Is It Sustainable?

The winter arc is one of the most achievable, sustainable and well-rounded fitness challenges that has come out of a social media trend. Because the winter arc is customizable, you can increase your likelihood of success by keeping it personal and realistic. That also makes it a great challenge to continue after the official 3-month span is up, following the principles of progressive overload to increase the intensity and keep seeing results. 

My number one tip for being successful in the winter arc challenge is to be adaptable. If you planned on going outside for a walk but cold weather gets in your way, swap it for an indoor walking workout. If a crowded gym means you can’t work through your full gym workout routine, try a compound dumbbell workout. Don’t have an hour to workout? Focus on quick micro workouts.

FAQs

Consistency Over Perfection

The winter arc works because it’s simple, personalized and motivating. You’ll spend 12 weeks locking in on 3-5 wellness habits ranging from movement, nutrition, sleep and mindset. During this challenge, you’ll build sustainable habits, beat the end-of-year slump and set yourself up for success in the New Year. 

Confidence comes from doing the things you said you were going to do. Set your goals, show up as best you can and let the consistency compound. Tiny wins over time become big results – you got this!

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Note: Before beginning any new exercise program you should consult with your physician or midwife. The information provided with this workout challenge is intended for general information and use; it does not include specific, individualized recommendations and is not intended as medical advice. Before you begin any new exercise program Nourish Move Love, LLC recommends that you consult with your physician. Nourish Move Love, LLC primarily educates clients to assume more personal responsibility for their health by adopting a healthy and active lifestyle.