WINTER is COMING!
Where are my fellow GoT watchers? With the recent episodes of House of Dragons we are all thinking of good ‘ol sayings from the original series, such as “Winter is Coming.” Even if you’re not a Game of Thrones enthusiast like me, you know the reality of Minnesota winters! WINTER IS COMING!! If you’re not a lover of all things outdoors when it is -30º outside, then your exercise and activity levels can certainly be affected in the winter if you are not prepared.
Maybe you love to hike outdoors, bicycle outdoors, take walks with the dog, or go for some nice jogs in the summertime. However, some of us can be fair weather fans when it comes to outdoor activities. Myself included. In Minnesota weather, that can mean that for >6 months of the year you actively avoid going outside! There are plenty of fun winter activities such as sledding, downhill skiing/snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating/playing hockey, or broom ball and more.
I will occasionally enjoy an outdoor activity in the wintertime, but truthfully I don’t enjoy the efforts of putting on all the gear to brave the cold.
The good news is that I won’t try to change your mind about braving the cold if you are not a fan of outdoor winter activities. If you DO love winter activities, then that is AWESOME and it is great to have a plan about how those activities will stay a consistent part of your winter schedule to maintain a good balance of cardio and strengthening activities during the long winter months. If you would rather keep it indoors over the winter, then here are some ideas for you. If you just want to do some walking, you can typically find public spaces such as community centers or malls that offer free walking during certain hours. Maintaining wintertime running/jogging indoors may require a gym membership or purchasing a home treadmill (often there are great deals on Facebook Marketplace or similar used equipment sale sites). If you are just looking for creative way to sneak some cardio into your routine, you can do that with minimal home equipment through High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) routines. When it comes to muscle strength training, you can also do a lot of body weight only exercises to also achieve this goal. There are great exercise routines that can also be performed with minimal equipment such as purchasing a set of resistance bands which do not take up much space for storage and can be easily transported with you in a suitcase if you need to travel this winter.
No matter what you prefer in the winter (indoors vs. outdoors), now is the time to start preparing a plan to stay active and fit this winter. If you are not sure where to start, you can reach out to us at Shift Physical Therapy for some individual fitness coaching where you decide what your goals are for fitness this winter and Jackie will help you out by developing individualized exercise routines that you can take home with you from the clinic into your own home this winter. Or maybe you prefer to come to the clinic for scheduled exercise sessions to help hold you accountable to your fitness goals, either way is great!
Winter is coming. Be prepared. Get an exercise plan set NOW, so that you can plan to stay fit and healthy all winter long.
Written by: Renee Hancock
