Ruth Walker: 'Head out into the dreich Scottish winter? Not a chance'

YOU know when you've lost that loving feeling, and it has absolutely nothing to do with no longer being inclined to close your eyes when you kiss someone on the smackers.

Nor does it involve any lack of tenderness in the old frostbitten fingers. Rather, it happens when you look out the window of a Saturday morning and it's still so dark you can barely see the cat clinging to the downpipe for dear life as a force ten gale whips round the garden. So you put your weekend run off until after you've had your porridge. A nice, hot, energy-boosting breakfast. That should do the trick.

You tweak the curtains an hour later to discover it's now hammering down. Maybe you'll do some housework and see how the weather pans out ...

Every day it's the same. It's cold, it's dark, it's wet or it's windy. Or it's all four at the same time. None of which are particularly conducive to pounding the streets. So, here's the uncomfortable truth, people. I haven't been running for three weeks. Sure, I've been at the gym. I wouldn't deprive Fit Guy of my scintillating company. But head out into the dreich Scottish winter? Not a chance. I'd rather have a brew and a biccie.

In an attempt to rectify the situation I consulted celebrity trainer Nicky Waterman. She's on the Asics pro team and her clients have included Kelly Brook, Denise Van Outen and - er - Christopher Biggins, so she should know a thing or two about motivation.

"It's tempting to hibernate in your warm house all winter," she says, "but if you go for just seven days without exercising, your blood volume starts to drop."

Eek! Really? Sounds bad, but what does that mean exactly?

"This means you have less oxygen-carrying red blood cells to fuel your muscles. If you go three to six weeks without exercise, your fitness levels can drop to where they were before you started training."

Oh no! All that hard work all summer for nought.

"Running through dark, blustery evenings when everyone else is slobbing out in front of the TV may seem crazy, but it actually shows great foresight," she continues. "Getting the training miles in during winter will raise your base aerobic fitness, giving you an edge over your fellow runners once spring returns and the season starts up again."

Aha! Tapping into my naturally competitive nature. Atta girl.

To make life a little more comfortable - and to prevent the inconvenient loss of any of the aforementioned fingertips - she recommends investing in a pair of lightweight gloves, and running wearing plenty of layers, which you can peel off as you heat up. A windproof outer layer is also a good idea. And, yes, by that I do mean an anorak. Goodbye style, hello sensibility.

Alternatively, since the old exercise regime is beginning to drag, I've been persuaded to try something new. Mix it up a little. So I've been training on Power Plates. Two 20-minute sessions a week and I've been promised the body of my dreams. I even have a new Fit Guy to sculpt me into physical perfection. I think I feel that loving feeling returning already.

• This article was first published in the Scotland on Sunday on November 7, 2010