It’s hard to be motivated when you wake up to gray darkness.



Exercise? Bah, what you want is more time in the covers, then coffee, then even more time back in the covers.



But go outside and play with your friends, with the sometimes funky, sometimes functional, always fun social exercise offerings in the South Sound that all have one thing in common: fresh air.



Toward the funky end of things, look no further than the Hash House Harriers, who tout themselves as “a drinking group with a running problem.” Information about the Western Washington groups can be found at www.wh3.org; a calendar of runs, functions and addresses is available through links on this Web site.



The Tacoma group is mixed gender and meets the first and third Saturdays of the month, though “Tacoma” is used loosely, with functions happening in conjunction with other hash groups in Western Washington. While the idea of frolicking from point to point in a beer-centric romp has its beauty, for sheer fitness (and weight loss?) these groups might not be your best workout bet.



Beer-centric in its origin though not necessarily in practice, the Harmon Bike Club offers members free growlers and shirts for the $25 membership fee among its perks, though putting said frothy stuff in your bottle cage is not recommended. The riders here don’t ride for the express purpose of beer; rather, they work toward the long-term goals of completing the Courage Classic benefiting Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, and specifically the Child Abuse Prevention Program. Riders meet at 6 p.m. Wednesdays and 8:30 a.m. Saturdays; contact www.harmonbikeclub.com for more membership information.



Similarly, Team in Training works toward the long-term goal of curing Leukemia, Lymphoma and other blood cancers. Like with the Harmon team, you can train on bikes, but there’s more. Training can be on foot, for a marathon or half marathon in a variety of different places; on wheels, for a number of different century (100 mile) rides, or even triathlon and hiking events. Teams for all sports have members at a variety of fitness levels and offer coaching and event support such as water stops and post-workout munchies, lodging and airfare to more than 60 accredited events in the United States and abroad, and fellowship with an altruistic-minded, inspiring community.



Involvement in the teams requires fundraising for Leukemia and Lymphoma; go to www.teamintraining.org or contact campaign director Aja Albiar at albiara@lls.org for more information.



A final, intriguing type of group exercise outdoors is SOL Fitness, which can be found at www.solfitnessnw.com. ACE certified personal trainer Paige Scannell leads a variety of women-only groups on romps that range from trail-meanderings to random acts of Link-riding, always incorporating resistance training and a mind-body approach to fitness.



With a modus operandi of, “Stay moving, go outside!” Scannell offers compelling reasons for getting out from under the covers when the weather turns cold: “negative ions,” or broken molecules, “happy ions,” says Scannell, who cites studies linking these ions to runner’s high.



Consequently, Scannell leads her groups through rain, sleet, snow or hail — within reason.



“We didn’t go in the windstorm.” Though she debated her choice, the idea of having her group concussed by falling limbs turned Scannell off to the idea.



But, she’s quick to note, “You really can go out there and get a good workout.”



So what are you doing reading this in bed? Get out there and be a joiner! — Jessica Corey-Butler