Cold Weather Exercise

Do the winter months leave you digging out from both snow and weight gain.  Does your fitness level suffer because of inclement weather?  Five years ago, after relocating to Minnesota, my workouts were unexpectedly taken indoors after a Halloween snow storm blanketed the streets for the next five months.

Winter workouts require a different mindset, alternative exercise options and different motives for sticking with your program.

Winter Exercise Attitudes

Exercise is  not an option, it’s a necessity. Knowing its importance in stress reduction, weight management, creativity enhancement and health, you can’t afford to ignore it.  The cost is too great.   And  it’s not an option to slack off until Spring.  (Or until ‘after the holidays.)

You’re a role model.  Your commitment to exercise, despite the challenges, speaks volumes to your children, friends, and others who respect you for your dedication.

You’re worth it!  Very little in life is more important than your health.  Continued exercise promotes good health.  You are worth the time and energy required for worthwhile and effective workouts.

Different Exercise Choices

Winter months, in many places, offer the opportunities to try new activities.  Activities that burn lots of calories and are exhilarating like; skiing cross country or downhill, skating, sledding or brisk walking. (Walk in snow, not  on ice.) 

Try indoor classes you normally would not consider.  What about Yoga, swimming or box-aerobics? 

Inclement weather  may require you to work out at home-so be ready.  Most health club equipment can be purchased for home use.  You can spend as little as $12 or as much as twelve thousand.  Try these indoor exercises: varied weights, Dyna bands, rubber resistive equipment (like tubes), stationary bikes, treadmills, rowing machines, exercise videos, jump ropes, music tapes and CD’s, all can keep you going.

Changed Motivation

Cold weather exercise motivation may come from what you want to gain, maintain and avoid.

Gain

Exercising during the winter provides you with the energy to enjoy the holidays and post new year doldrums.  It takes extra energy to maintain your sanity during these months.  Your endorphin highs will hold you over until warmer weather.  Plus, your energy level will be better for making healthier lifestyle choices.  (Notice how you eat healthier when you work out regularly?)

Trying new activities will enable you to meet new people.  Your new ‘best friend’ may be out there cross country skiing at a nearby park.

It is spiritually uplifting being outdoors on crisp, cool, blue sky days.  If you have exercised outside on days like this, you know how energizing it is.  Give yourself the gift of an afternoon outdoors.

If these reasons don’t motivate you, maybe this one will; increasing your core body temperature and working to within your target heart range requires a greater expenditure of calories.  Therefore, cold weather workouts can burn more unwanted calories.

Maintain

Your physical and mental health is maintained by exercising when it’s convenient to quit.

Your perspective is maintained.  Because exercising reduces stress, your sense of control and influence in your life is maintained more easily than if you quit exercising.

Your self-esteem always gets a shot in the arm when you stick with something positive and healthy.  Boost your self-respect and esteem by moving throughout the winter months.

Avoid

• Avoid boredom in your workouts.  Try cross country skiing, working on a Body Trek, group cycling classes or Martial Arts classes.   Alternating activities keeps enthusiasm high and injuries low. 

• Injuries can also be reduced or avoided by varying your workouts through cross training. 

• Weight gain will also be avoided or minimized when you continue exercising during the colder months.

Don’t wait till spring for rejuvenation.  Do it to yourself this winter by exercising with new attitudes, activities and motives.  Then we’ll only have to dig ourselves out from the snow, and not from poor choices.

Cautionary Notes:

Outside activities require a different way of dressing.  The concern is to avoid hypothermia and frostbite.  Cold exposure, while not usually life-threatening can certainly ruin your outdoor exercise activities.  Wearing layers of clothes is best.  The clothes next to the skin should wick away moisture (polypropylene, wool, Dryline Fabric etc.), and protect from winds (Gore-Tex, Activent outer wear).  Hats are important to prevent warmth from ‘pouring’ out your head, and wear gloves of varying warmth.

CALL US: 888.LIF.WALK

Kate is a senior partner with CLC, Inc.