by Mia Bremer
If you’re not an avid skier, fat-tire mountain biker or ice-skater, getting your cardio exercise in the winter months gets tougher. As we start to put our road bikes away and the sidewalks get snowy and icy, we may not be able to keep up a pace that allows us to exercise our heart muscle outdoors. If you’re lucky and have access to group exercise classes nearby, that’s a plus. Even so, there are some days when snow and ice may keep us from venturing out but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your cardiovascular exercise in your own home. Resistance training is easy – a few fitness bands or dumbbells and a video or a workout you’ve devised will keep your muscles strong. The CDC recommends strength training twice a week. The more difficult part of your fitness regimen may be getting enough cardiovascular exercise which the CDC recommends we do for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Here are some ways to accomplish this…
Online Videos
Here are my favorite instructors on YouTube. They are all knowledgeable and make working out fun.
Curtis Adams is a great motivator and has so many workouts available you can do something different every day of the month. Search for his Cardio Workouts – standing or seated – and in 20-30 minutes you’ll be feeling energized.
Jessica Smith has been around for many years and creates workouts that are simple, doable, and effective. She is often my go-to when I’m not in the mood to do my own workout and want someone to lead me through something new and different (but basic and fun!)
(815) jessicasmithtv – YouTube
Of course, Silver Sneakers is familiar to most of us. Their workouts are perfect for those new to exercise. The explanations are clear, and the videos are well done.
(815) SilverSneakers – YouTube
Denise Austin is one of the OGs of exercise videos back in the 80s and she’s still doing a great job.
Short bouts of activity
Scientists measured vigorous activity using a wrist accelerometer in 22, 398 people who reported no leisure-time exercise on questionnaires. Over the next 6.5 years, those whose accelerometers registered an average of 4.5 minutes of vigorous activity (a bout lasting a minute or less – had a 20 percent lower risk of cancer than those whose accelerometers registered none. The risk of breast, colorectal or uterine cancer (which have stronger links to exercises) was 31 percent lower.
Think about climbing stairs for a minute, doing jumping jacks, walking uphill, jogging in place, carrying children for a minute can even raise your heartrate!
Dancing
One of my favorite clients, Carl, began his transformation as a 48-year old with extra pounds, high blood pressure, diabetes, and sleepless nights with a C-Pap, with dancing! He came to me on a cold fall day 20 years ago knowing he had to get a handle on his health but, he said, “I don’t like working out. I like to dance to R&B but that’s not a workout.” I told him he was wrong, and that dancing was the perfect place to start! So that’s what he did; every night Carl played his CD mix and danced with vigor for 30 minutes. Over the course of a few months, he was down ten pounds and so inspired to continue that he agreed to add strength training to his routine. By the summer when he was down 25 pounds, he dusted off his old bicycle and joined a biking group. And a year later when went in for a physical, the doctor took him off his blood pressure medication, reduced his diabetes medication and told him he could try sleeping without the C-Pap. He also told Carl he was his star patient. I claimed him, too, but Carl gets all the credit! And it all started with a little Earth, Wind and Fire!
Walk Outdoors
Walking outdoors is one of the best way to embrace winter, if we can do it safely. YakTrax and NanoSpikes are two versions of removable “cleats” that can reduce slipping on icy sidewalks. I find the NanoSpikes to be easy to put on my hiking boots and remove with one hand. YakTrax, in my experience, fit more tightly and might work best on boots you plan to leave them on for a while. But you can experiment! Sport snowshoes are inexpensive and have a smaller footprint than the big Alaskan or Bear Claws I learned to use as a teenager. With or without poles, a quick walk in snowshoes around your local park is a great workout and is sure to get your heart rate up!
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