2 years, 1 month ago-
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As the temps drop, often so does our daily activity. Let’s work together to avoid letting this winter, yet again, derail our commitment to MOVE MORE!
This weekend, as I enjoyed my morning coffee with my husband as we drove around the lakes of Southwest Minneapolis – I was very inspired by those individuals mustering the strength to be out and active in our single digit degree weather.
I had a thought that I hadn’t really had before: as I saw the runners (which is my preferred activity), I felt uncomfortable – like I admired them, but didn’t want to run myself in those temps. However, when I saw those walking I wanted to be out there with them.
And do you know why? It was because the walkers were able to bundle up so much more than the joggers! The comfort of that resonated with me; it switched to sounding fun vs uncomfortable.
My point is that we need to stay active, of course even in winter, and if that means adjusting our usual outdoor activity (for me that means walking rather than running)…great!
I’ve come to realize that I am a fair weather runner and a cold weather walker. Something I hadn’t really given myself permission to be. I, too, fall victim to self-imposed expectations that a certain ‘level’ should be maintained. But my body, my cells, don’t think like that. They want consistency.
And remember, they are what ‘it’ is all for. They would rather have me take a 20-minute walk than to skip activity that day.
When we live in northern states with winter, we really do need seasonal activity plans. What we eat changes with the seasons, and we embrace that; our activity habits deserve the same consideration. We know we live where it’s cold, we know we need to be consistently active, so we only have one sane choice – embrace it (bundled up, of course)!
How about you?! Any seasonal change that helps you stay active and hit your move more goals during the winter?
Additional Tips for Safely Being Active Outside: How to Exercise in Cold Weather http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2013/12/04/how-to-exercise-in-cold-weather?6886153=1&page=2
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@They make some really incredible thermal activewear now-a-days. Remember wearing long-johns and itchy wool sweaters under your coat?! Before COVID kicked my butt, I’d hit a 24/7 gym for cardio in the winter. I’d shoot for 90 minutes on one of those programable treadmills that mimic a hiking trip. I try not to listen to any music unless it is while I’m on the treadmill and that helps make an otherwise monotonous workout something to look forward to.
I’m still not able to use a treadmill, but I’m optimistic I’ll get there soon. Those 90 minute hikes would get me healthy and fit quick, I bet.
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@In some ways I prefer walking outside in the winter because I can dress for the weather and not be dripping in sweat when I’m done with my walk. I bought a pair of winter walking shoes with cleats on the bottom and they’ve been a game changer with all this ice we have in MN this winter. I use exercise to support my mental/spiritual/emotional wellbeing. Even if it’s a walk around the block, I feel better when I come home. My goal isn’t 10,000 steps a day. If I hit that in a day that’s great, but I can’t always do that. My goal is about a 30 minute walk a day, sometimes broken up into “break walks” that I take during my work day. I want to make sure my exercise is sustainable and doesn’t feel like a burden.
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@Good for you Jim! I don’t get out much in the cold weather. But I belong to the Y and to an online exercise program/fund raiser called My Peak Challenge. Now that I’m back from Africa, and starting to recover from the the jet lag, I plan to hit the gym tomorrow to get back into my routine. I am definitely noticing that my age is beginning to impact what I can do. No jumping or running anymore except for very short distances. Plenty of knee, ankle, hip and elbow pain thanks to osteoarthritis but I am not complaining because it could be much worse. I’ve had to lower the weights I lift and I can still do most exercises with modifications. There are many ways to exercise as we age and taking a long walk is an excellent one.
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@Lynda, breaking your exercise up into small bites is a great idea. My husband does that. He gets up every hour and walks for 10 minutes. It’s been such a good thing for him. Good for you for keeping exercise doable.
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@Holy Moly James, great job!! I’m so glad to hear that you’re doing what you want to do. Sheryl, I too work out with weights and bands and plan on doing that for as long as I can. I think it’s so important as we age. I also have been doing a lot more yoga with breath work. It’s helping with my sleep. Sometimes I sleep 9 hours at night, which is 2 hours more than my normal. I’m grateful for that. They say exercise helps with sleep but I’ve experienced better sleep with yoga/breathwork. I’m so glad to hear about other’s experience with excercise.
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