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Zuletzt aktualisiert am 29.04.2026
The social media trend continues. This year, many people want to use the quiet time in winter to experience their own Winter Arc. What is that? The Winter Arc is a worldwide trend where the cold season is not used for lazing around but actively for self-reflection and personal development. The goal? To start the new year strong and have a real glow up.
We at Vetain are big fans of self-optimization and want to show you in this article how you too can use the Winter Arc. We take you by the hand and accompany you through the coming months.
This blog post is part of our series "Getting through winter well with Vetain", which accompanies you through the coming months and shows you how to get through winter well.
Your knowledge to go: Winter Arc
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The Winter Arc is your personal way to actively use the quiet season for self-reflection, healthy routines, and new habits. The goal: to start the new year strong, balanced, and motivated.
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Some ideas for your Winter Arc are: balanced nutrition, drinking enough, regular exercise, stress management, good sleep, mindfulness & reflection, and digital detox.
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Habit trackers can support you in building new habits, sticking to them & making your Arc successful.
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Your Winter Arc doesn't have to be perfect – small, sustainable steps often take you further than radical changes. Do what works for you.
How does the Winter Arc work?
In the Winter Arc, you set various personal goals or challenges in areas where you want to optimize yourself. What exactly that is, is completely individual, and while for some sports & nutrition are the focus, for others it can be meditation and regular self-reflection. You try to implement these challenges as best as possible in the coming months so you can start fresh and ready for the new year.
They are basically New Year's resolutions, only that they are not decided on New Year's and hopefully last longer than 2 days! ;)
We have gathered the 7 best ideas focusing on nutrition, sports & well-being on how you can start your Winter Arc. What is always very important: You don't have to implement all 7 ideas – feel free to see what sounds interesting and doable for you. The most important thing is to engage with yourself and your needs and individually see what is good and possible for you.
Idea 1: Balanced nutrition
You hear and read it everywhere – a balanced, vitamin-rich diet is essential, also for your winter arc. And although most people actually know what belongs to a healthy diet (fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, etc.), implementation is often not that easy. In everyday life, there is often little time to deal with a new diet or you haven't yet found the right healthy recipes that you also like. Added to this are numerous guides, gurus, and tips on the internet about what you can and cannot eat?! The problem: What one person finds great, another finds terrible. And suddenly even the overwhelm is overwhelmed.
Of course, we have joined the ranks of guides and written a small article about balanced nutrition, but in a fun way! In the article, we show you how balanced nutrition can be enjoyable and tasty without bans and how you can easily implement it step by step.
Additionally, many also turn to dietary supplements to simply increase their nutrient intake. Is that interesting for you?
Here you can find out which supplements might be interesting for you: Which dietary supplements should you take?
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Idea 2: Drink enough water
As grandma used to say: The brain needs to swim. So always make sure to drink enough. The best drink for us is, of course, water. But unsweetened teas, water with fresh fruits, fruit spritzers, or protein sodas also count towards fluid intake and make it easier for those who dislike drinking to drink enough. A little tea in between also warms you from the inside, which is very pleasant in the cold season.
The DGE recommends drinking about 1.5 liters a day.
Vetain's tip for the winter arc: If you simply forget to drink, drinking reminder apps can remind you to drink water. A nice bottle also motivates you to drink and you can always take your drink with you everywhere.
Idea 3: Regular exercise
Exercise in winter Arc? It’s getting worse, I know! ;) Sufficient exercise – preferably outdoors – is important for the whole body and also the mind. With enough exercise and sport, you can not only build muscles, lose weight, and change your appearance, but also do something good for your mind.
We have already written an article on the topic of exercise, where we explain exactly what the official movement recommendations are and how you can implement them in your everyday life.
Here’s the article: How often to exercise? The movement recommendations explained.
And even though it’s often a hurdle to venture out into the cold winter air – after a winter walk, you just feel good, your mind is clear, and you really look forward to a warm cup of tea and a gingerbread cookie on the sofa.
Try to get moving 2-3 times a week – soon it will surely become a routine.
Idea 4: Stress management
Stress is pure poison for your body, but unfortunately for many, it’s everyday life. Try a new way to deal with stress instead of just scrolling on TikTok for hours. ;)
Relaxation techniques like breathing exercises or meditation are very popular. Or, if you don’t feel like that, small me-time moments in everyday life can work wonders. A cup of tea in a quiet moment, a relaxing bath in the evening, or a few deep breaths often make us feel better. Feel free to update your to-do list and postpone some appointments and tasks that aren’t urgent to next year or spring. What always helps me are lists – I keep everything (appointments, thoughts, to-dos) on lists. This frees up mental capacity and organizes my thoughts.
Idea 5: Gooood and sufficient sleep
Getting enough good sleep is important to be fit, rested, and active in everyday life. During this rest time, your body regenerates.
Experts recommend 7-9 hours of sleep per night (and not just in winter Arc). But good sleep is about much more than just sleeping long enough. Equally important is good sleep hygiene to stay fit through the cold season, as it affects the quality of your sleep. And we all know this – even though you faithfully slept 8 hours, you wake up the next morning feeling unrested and very tired.
Good sleep hygiene includes:
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A regular sleep-wake rhythm: Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Of course, exceptions are always allowed!
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Quiet, dark, and cool sleeping environment: Darken your bedroom and air it out briefly before going to bed. Many sleep best at 16-18 degrees Celsius, and fresh air is always beneficial.
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No blue light before sleeping: About an hour before bedtime, put away your phone, laptop, and all other screens. This allows your body to wind down properly and not be artificially kept awake. Instead, read a book, listen to an audiobook, or do some yoga.
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Avoid caffeine, alcohol & heavy meals before sleeping: Especially in the hours before bedtime, avoiding these can help. They can be stimulating and disrupt sleep – exactly the opposite of "staying fit through the winter"! ;)
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A relaxing evening routine: Create a ritual for yourself in the evening. Light a candle, get cozy, and maybe prepare a warm water bottle. Soon your body will recognize these things as signals that it's bedtime and will naturally become tired and sleepy.
Idea 6: Reflection & Mindfulness
Take a quiet moment to reflect on which parts of your life you are currently satisfied with and where you see room for improvement. These could be relationships, lifestyles, or personal traits. Also, think about your dreams and goals and consider what you need to do to achieve them.
Feel free to write down how you currently feel and how your daily life is going, or start journaling.
This way, you can quickly find out what might be missing in your life and what you can do to have a true Winter Arc.
We should write a separate blog post about mindfulness. Try to notice and appreciate the little things in everyday life. Unfortunately, this often gets lost, and we take many things for granted. Whether it's the delicious cup of coffee, the small flower growing by the roadside, or the warm rays of sunshine on your face.
Tip 7: Digital Detox
Winter is the perfect season for a little "pause" with the Winter Arc. A small digital detox helps you clear your mind, reduce sensory overload, and be more mindful in the moment. It doesn't have to be a complete social media break – even set offline times, phone-free evenings, or turning off unnecessary push notifications can make a huge difference. This way, you create little islands of calm and quickly notice how much clearer and more relaxed you feel throughout the winter.
Our hack: Habit Tracker
If you need a bit more motivation and support, I can recommend our digital Habit Tracker. In our Habit Tracker, you can record your own goals and to-dos and develop new habits step by step that you really keep. The Vetain Habit Tracker makes it easier and more personalized than ever to make routines visible, reflect on them, and improve them. It combines elements of a Daily Tracker, a Monthly Habit Tracker, and a Yearly Goal Tracker.
At the beginning, you set your goals – and can adjust or expand them at any time. Then you break them down into small, manageable steps: daily, weekly, or monthly habits that gradually lead you to your big goal.
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This way, healthy routines no longer become a tedious task but a motivating challenge that can be really fun. With the tracker, you can develop solid routines in your Winter Arc and maintain them even after the Arc.
Conclusion
Ready for your Winter Arc? Then best get started right away.
Just a little reminder before you start your transformation: We all tend to want to do too much too quickly. Maybe you don’t have to implement the ideas perfectly but rather take small steps: You eat an apple every day or make yourself a fresh salad. You go for a long walk on the weekend or put your phone away a little earlier in the evening – all without pressure. How does that sound to you? Your Winter Arc doesn’t have to look perfect from the outside, but it should help you personally grow. And a slow, sustainable change is easier and more realistic for many than a 180° turnaround overnight.
If you want to read more about nutrition, sports & lifestyle, feel free to visit our blog.
Do you have questions? Then feel free to write me one Email – I look forward to hearing from you! :)
The information shared in this article does not replace individual medical or nutritional advice.
Literature & sources
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Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG) on infektionsschutz.de (updated in 2025). Handwashing protects.
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Federal Center for Health Education (Ed.) (2006). National Recommendations for Physical Activity and Promotion of Physical Activity. In: Research and Practice in Health Promotion, Special Issue 03.
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DGE (n.d.). DGE Recommendations: Best to drink water.
