Written by Winter has hit — hard. It was 13 degrees with a 0 wind-chill, when I walked Chico this morning — ouch. The cold weather has about as many people talking as they were about last night’s Iowa Caucus, well maybe not but there’s still a lot of talk. Logging into Facebook, I saw lots of weather-related posts, one of my favorite strings was of friends posting their local weather, yes misery loves company. Although my favorite was posted by my friend Joyce, “14 degrees??!!! Even ice is cold at 14 degrees.”
Frigid temperatures and fitness usually don’t go hand in hand, who wants to run in this? I cancelled an early morning run — I guess I haven’t embraced the cold yet. That doesn’t mean I’m skipping today’s workout, I’ll just take it inside.
Sometimes it’s a matter of working smarter and keeping those newly-minted resolutions from dieing a frosty death. Esther and cross-train two or three times a week, tonight will be one of them. With weights, stationary bikes, elliptical machines and treadmills there is enough to keep us busy. Many gyms have TVs on their machines, making it easy to get in 30 minutes of cardio and not miss a basketball game; track the upcoming Presidential Race, or get the latest Kardashians update — they have their own 24-hour channel, don’t they?
Weights and machines aren’t your thing, try a class. Many gyms offer classes ranging from Step, Cardio Kick-Boxing and Zumba to Pilates, Spinning and Yoga. A quick search can open endless options.
Gyms aren’t your thing? How about dusting off unused home equipment? How many people bought home fitness equipment from late-night infomercials, treadmills and stationary bikes that are just that — stationary? Dust them off and get going. I remember a former co-worked who did just that — and lost over 50 pounds. He put his stationary bike in front of the TV and pedaled. He didn’t miss any of this favorite shows, games or wrestling matches as he pedaled away at a nice easy pace — sometimes for as much three hours a night.
You don’t have a treadmill but are into video games? Both Wii and Xbox offer limitless options — everything from Nickelodeon Fit and Just Dance to The Biggest Loser Challenge and EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp. There’s something for everyone, if you’re feeling ambitious you can add accessories like the balance board and exercise mat and who needs a gym membership? Having a gaming system means, you don’t have to work out alone — you can do it with a roommate or your kids.
So you don’t like working out in the winter? Maybe you haven’t expolred all of your options.
30 Minute Club Update – Day 4- Esther and I were back in the gym but tonight we ran on the treadmill. With a 10K race on Saturday I wanted to log a few miles. I ran for 45 minutes at a steady pace logging 4.47 miles.