Winter Exercise

It’s the first part of January, 2010, and there is 26-plus inches of snow on the ground here.  The wind chill is 20⁰ below zero.   Do you feel like exercising?  Most people would hole up on the couch with a blanket and a bag of munchies and call it a day!  Sometimes that’s alright.  What about those resolutions to exercise more?  Maybe you exercise three or more times per week now, but the treadmill is starting to look like the dreadmill!  I know that we use ours three times per week, and it’s starting to get OLD!  What you need are some alternatives to your normal exercise routine (or a new exercise start).

The secret to exercise is making it fun.  If you are starting a new exercise program, you may need to do it for a few weeks before it becomes “fun” and not a “must.”  If you are already exercising, try something new.  Doing different types of exercise throughout the week will help stimulate different muscle groups and your mind.  It also makes you feel better.

So—here are a few secrets that I have discovered for exercising in the winter when you live in Siberia! (Really, I live in Nebraska—but it feels like Siberia.)

• Scooping is great exercise!  And it keeps you from swearing after you have scooped snow for the hundredth time!  It also burns mega calories—just do it wisely, and don’t overdo it.
• Kids love to sled in the winter.  You have snow—so go sledding with your kids.  Its great exercise walking up the hill over and over again—and your kids will love that you’ve tapped into your inner child again.
• Rent/purchase new exercise videos.  My secret is to purchase them at the local thrift store.  I’ve fallen in love with Billy Blanks and even Richard Simmons!  Denise Austin is fun, and even some of those Pilates videos make me sweat!  The nice thing is that they are usually around $1, and if I don’t like them—they go in the garage sale pile.  The dollar store sometimes carries some wild videos too!
• Exercise with your kids.  Nothing stimulates you to work harder than seeing your five-year-old doing kick-boxing better than you.   Turn up the tunes and dance with them, or your spouse.  It usually ends in a big bout of laughter—but its still exercise.
•  When all else fails—clean your house.  Housework can be aerobic.  Stretching to clean cobwebs, vacuuming, going up and down stairs to do laundry, mopping—all ways to exercise, and you get a clean house in the end.
• So—no more excuses—get moving.  Place it on your calendar three times or more per week, and enjoy.  Your body will thank you for it.  I know mine appreciates it!  For those of you keeping track—my weight loss progress continues—I’m down 31# so far.  The holidays were tough—but I’m back in the groove again.  If I can get healthier—so can you!  Like the commercial-just DO IT!  Stay warm.