Staying Active in the Winter
When winter approaches, staying active, at least outdoors, becomes more of a challenge. In many areas, snow is abundant, and getting through the snow and ice can be daunting.
Of course, this resistance can be used to one’s benefit. Outdoor walks become serious excursions. With extra clothing and snow on our paths, a typical walk can burn twice as many calories as it would in the summer.
And that simple walk through a snowy park becomes much more interesting when snowshoes are added. Cross-country skiing is also very enjoyable for people of any skill or fitness level, although you should take it easy if you’re new, and focus on technique over speed. And, of course, if you live near a mountain, alpine skiing and snowboarding are great ways to spend the day.
As a cyclist who grew up in Ontario and has spent a winter in the interior of British Columbia, I can attest to the great fun that cycling in the snow can be. Bicycle tires can now be bought with steel studs in them, which make riding on ice feel like you’re riding on dry concrete. With an extra layer of clothing, winter commuting by bicycle is possible.
You’ll need to dress so you’re not too hot, but warm enough. If you’re feeling hot before you’re even outside, you’re likely over-dressed. Layers are a common way to address this: going out with a little extra, and having a layer you can take off to cool down a bit. Avoid air-tight clothing; clothes that “breathe” lift the sweat from your skin and transport it to the outer layer of your clothing. This, of course, prevents your clothes from becoming wet, which would cool you down mighty quick if you stop for long. Outdoors and running shops will be able to set you up with the type of clothing you’ll need to keep warm and dry while active outdoors.
One can also enjoy a great many activities indoors. Yoga and strength-training are two excellent options. Yoga classes are popping up everywhere, often including free trial sessions.
Gyms and recreation centers also offer opportunities to maintain or increase your level of fitness. There are many options for cardio training, such as rowing machines, treadmills, stationary bikes and elliptical machines. Many also feature swimming pools. Alternately, there are weight rooms, and weight training not only helps create an overall body of health, but burns extra calories. Added muscle increases the number of calories you’ll burn every day, and help you shed any excess weight.
Check out my suggested Three Day Gym Workout program. The idea is to get to the gym three days a week (say, Monday, Wednesday and Friday), preferably with a rest day between each. This will give you a full-body workout, strengthening and condition virtually all major muscle groups. When beginning, use light weights. Going easy for the first week or two will prevent a lot of unnecessary pain and discomfort that often occurs when beginning a new physical routine. There’s lots of time to increase your lifts and toss some big iron! Aim for 12-20 repetitions per lift if you’ve got an endurance focus. If you’re more interested in power, start with the higher repetitions, then work your way down every couple weeks, going from 12-20, to 10-12, to 8-12, down to 4-6 repetitions. Aim for two to four sets of each exercise.
Conclude each workout with a high-carb snack or meal. Aim for 200-300 calories, preferably in a liquid state for faster absorption. You’ll want minimal fat and protein in this, as the goal is to quickly replace your depleted glycogen stores in your muscles. This results in much less discomfort afterwards, as your muscles will have the fuel to repair and recover. Sleep is also hugely important in recovery.
Sample Three-Day Gym Workout
Starting a new routine? The professionals at the gym will explain these lifts to you. It is important that you do ask for assistance from qualified staff where you’re training, to prevent injury.
Each day is broken down to four portions – a warm-up, a core-work-out, a work-out for specific muscle groups, and then a cool-down of stretching. Aim to keep the specific muscle-group portion of the workout to around an hour. Beyond that, fatigue starts to set in, and diminishes potential gains. Total workout will be between one and 1.5 hours.
Day 1 – Legs
Ten-minute warm-up.
Ride the stationary bike. Not too hard; just get your breathing up a bit by starting slowly, and increasing the intensity over ten minutes. Eight minutes in, give it a little extra. Ease down for the final minute to cool.
Suggested core workout.
Start with ten to fifteen minutes for some core exercises focusing on strengthening your abdominal muscles and lower back. Common ab exercises include sit-ups and curls, or various leg raises. You can do leg raises lying, legs straight out, and raising your heels up and down from about 3 to 8 inches off the floor; or hanging from a bar, and raising your knees to your chest, as high as you can, with your legs bent. Keep the speed slow enough so you don’t swing, it should be a smooth and fluid movement. Once you can do 20 repetitions of these, you can switch to the advanced version, which is the same, but with legs straight. Back extensions can be done on a machine, or with a Swiss ball. The back extension machine has you laying forward on an angle, and allows you to straighten your back backwards, and the same can be done on a Swiss ball (one of those big, soft balls used in Pilates) by resting on your knees on the ground, and chest on the ball, then lean back several inches to work the lower back. If you’re not already familiar with these movements, request help to achieve the proper form.
Legs:
Options with machines include leg extensions, leg (hamstring) curls, leg press, and the Smith machine, which simulates squats without the risks of free weights. Do all extensions and curls on machines one-legged for best muscle development.
Options with bodyweight and free weights includes step-ups, lunges, and side lunges.
For the advanced workout, squats and deadlifts are great for the legs, after all the above.
Cool down.
Stretch for ten to twenty minutes. Enjoy your recovery snack!
Day 2 – Chest and Back
Ten-minute warm-up.
Use the rowing machine. Not too hard; just get your breathing up a bit by starting slowly, and increasing the intensity over ten minutes. Eight minutes in, give it a little extra. Ease down for the final minute.
Suggested core workout.
Various sit-ups, leg raises, back extensions (same as above, in the leg workout).
Chest and back:
For the chest, options include the bench press with a bar, or with dumbbells, and bench flies with dumbbells. Pushups are a good option as well.
For the back, the seated cable or bent-over row, lateral pull-down, body-weight pull-ups, and bent-over delta flies are all excellent. If you’re not already familiar with these movements, request help to achieve the proper form.
Cool down.
Stretch for ten to twenty minutes. Enjoy your recovery snack!
Day 3 – Triceps, Biceps and Shoulders
Ten-minute warm-up.
Use the elliptical or rowing machine. Not too hard; just get your breathing up a bit by starting slowly, and increasing the intensity over ten minutes. Eight minutes in, give it a little extra. Ease down for the final minute.
Suggested core workout.
Various sit-ups, leg raises, back extensions (same as above, in the leg workout).
Biceps and triceps:
Biceps are easy to work. Standing curls and seated curls are common. Triceps are a bit more tricky. I suggest overhead dumbbell extensions, bent-over dumbbell extensions, and cable pull-downs. As always, if you’re not already familiar with these movements, request help to achieve the proper form.
Shoulders:
Using dumbbells, beneficial exercises include overhead shoulder presses (stand with arms held up and out to side, bent, and push weights straight up, as though you’re pushing something off your shoulders); front raises (starting with your arms to your side, palms down, lift your arms forward to shoulder height as though you were opening a stiff trunk of a car); and side flies (arms at your side, raised sideways, as though were making a standing snow angel, to shoulder height).
Cool down.
Stretch for ten to twenty minutes. Enjoy your recovery snack!
Note to readers: The suggestions here are not presented as medical advice, nor can we anticipate all readers’ individual situations. To avoid injury, consult with your health professional before embarking on a new workout plan, and ensure the equipment you use is properly and regularly maintained.
