Seasonal Fitness

The weather outside is certainly frightful. As the sun sinks into a sky dense with pastel pink and grey, the temperature begins to drop from teens to single digits – not the kind of weather that inspires outdoor activity. Come April, I will be pedaling over mountains in Bhutan and have no choice to find ways to stay fit. Come hell or high water (or snow and freezing temps, as is my case) self-discipline and the strong desire not to come across as a slug to the clients I guide helps strengthen my resolve. Here are a few ways you too can remain physically active through the cold, dark months of winter.

For those of you who have a gym membership, there are a number of machines designed to aid the user in maintaining cardiovascular fitness. Many of these machines are equipped with some kind of platform for holding a magazine or book, a feature, I suppose, that is meant to keep your mind off the fact that you are not going anywhere. If you really plan to get or stay fit using aerobic machines, leave the reading material behind (because if you are not sweating all over the pages you are not working hard enough anyway). If riding a bicycle is your primary activity in spring and summer, try some machines that work different muscles. Instead of taking a spinning class, learn how to use the cross-country ski machine. Skiing works your hamstrings, low back, and arms – all parts of the body that don’t get a full workout from cycling. Spend 20 minutes twice a week on the elliptical trainer, but move your feet as if you were walking backwards to switch up the muscles used. Hire a personal trainer to teach you how to properly use the rowing machine – a clean, long stroke is the key to avoiding injury. Rowing at low resistance for 20 minutes is incredibly tough and highly aerobic; balance a row with time on the ski machine for a full-body work out. Of course, always leave yourself plenty of time to stretch afterwards.

Personally, I can’t stand the gym. Growing up in the pre-globally warmed Midwest seasoned me for cold temperature outdoor activity. As long as the air temperature remains above freezing, I will get out for a run, or find a local trail where I can get in an hour-long power hike. Afterwards, I will spend anywhere from 30-60 minutes doing Pilates and finish with stretching my legs and back. I don’t like cycling at these temperatures, primarily because my fingers and toes freeze too quickly and I spend most of the ride thinking about how miserable I feel. Instead I ride indoors, my road bike hooked by the back wheel to a wind trainer. Since I cannot stand to be on the wind trainer for more than 40 minutes, I set my lap watch for 10 minutes of warm-up pedaling, followed by a series of 1 and 2-minute intervals. I pedal as fast as I can for one minute, then easy for one minute. I repeat this 5 times, then increase my fast pedaling to 2 minutes with a minute rest for five repetitions, and finally return to one minute on and one off. Then, I cool down for 10 minutes. The time passes quickly once I get into the interval phase – I am barely rested before I begin the next one.

Swimming is phenomenal aerobic activity, as it works the heart and lungs as well as most of the muscle groups in the body. Most indoor community pools offer lessons for adults, in case you are not comfortable putting your face in the water in between gasps for breath. If you are in decent shape, skip the water aerobics and go for 30 minutes of lap swimming. I usually alternate with laps of backstroke and breaststroke after 10-15 minutes of freestyle warm-up laps. Then I spend some time going back and forth in the pool hanging on to a kick board. I don’t always use a board; I may suspend myself on my back using my torso muscles, arms outstretched in front of me, kicking my body from pool end to pool end – this really keeps my heart rate high. I finish with one killer, all-out freestyle lap when I imagine myself racing for the Olympic gold medal. The finishing touch is a 10-minute soak in the bubbling hot tub.

There are many ways a person can remain fit through the worst of winters; the point is to dig deep into your self-discipline and stay active. Sleep in when you can, build a fire in the hearth and enjoy a mug of hot cocoa or tea. Skip the high-calorie comfort foods. Try baked squash or pumpkin soup, make a spinach salad but warm the dressing, and use olive oil on your bread rather than butter. Your transition into spring will feel silky smooth without ten pounds of winter weight to shed.

Best regards,
Jenny