How to Stay Active in Winter
Written by Lindsay Tasker Cole | November 17, 2021
Welcome FALL, but don’t fall behind in your activity and exercise goals!
As we put away our beach toys, bikes, and summer gear, there naturally is a shift towards slowing down, indoor activities and a more sedentary lifestyle. Like all things, this is all good and fine, but let’s keep it in moderation! With the cooler weather looming and the fall days upon us, it’s easy to lose motivation and FALL off the exercise train.
In today’s blog post, I want to talk about how to keep up with your exercise goals, despite the season change, and how physical therapy can help you stay committed.
With Fall weather being so variable- it can make planning for outdoor activities more of a challenge. With a mix of rain, wind, and most likely snow (yuck!), you have to be super creative with your activities and outdoor workouts.
Walking and running are great inexpensive and easy ways to build endurance and cardiovascular fitness. These activities are multi-seasonal and are easy to progress the intensity or resistance of. By adding wrist of ankles weights, or progressively increasing the speed or distance you go, you can safely build strength and endurance. You can also go find a good ol’ hill to go up and down and you will certainly feel some muscles letting you know about it! Ha! With the fall weather changes, good fitting shoes with grips or spikes, as well as appropriate clothing are important for good footing and versatility in movement (especially important for wet and icy days). It if is cooler out, make sure to incorporate a warmup before transitioning into a run.
This can also be a great time to change up and tweak your normal routine, which can facilitate reaching your fitness goals. This helps prevent plateau and boredom in doing the same activity repetitively. A change in routine/exercise can be a gentle shock to your system which causes your muscles to respond by adapting to the new loads you are putting on them. This can be as simple, as changing the load, incline, intensity, duration, etc., of exercise. It can even be simply adding in more mindfulness to your movement. A focus on proper technique and good quality movement vs. quantity is equally as important. As a physical therapist and movement specialist, we get excited about good technique and movement patterns. You don’t have to have an injury to see a physio either; preventative care (PRE-hab) helps to prevent the potential risk of injury. Reviewing exercises and movements with your physio, can help with increased confidence in your exercise. Physical therapist can also introduce new exercises to you that may be more beneficial for your own exercise goals. And of course, if something isn’t feeling great, don’t’ put off having it looked at. Book in to see your local physiotherapist to make sure whatever it is, is addressed early, before the issue becomes a REAL issue.
When the weather really isn’t cooperating, there is a many indoor activities that can you heart rate up and improve your strength. finding a Pilates, yoga, spin, or barre class might be a nice change to your normal routine. What’s great about these classes, is there is a plethora of them offered online. So, if you can’t find one in-person in your community, don’t be bummed out- I’m sure you will be able to find one online. Treadmills, elliptical machines, rower, stationary bike are other indoor options are great if you have access to them. You can always use the time on the machines to catch up on some reading or listen to your favorite songs. Even “mall walking” can be an effective way to remain active in the cooler months. Just getting moving and getting those steps in will benefit your mood, sleep, and metabolism.
On days where you really do not want to venture away from home, try running up and down your stairs in 10-minute increments. Come and talk to our team of Physio’s for a personalised program of activities that will work best for your fitness goals. No matter what the weather and season, keeping fit through the cooler weather can leave your body, energy levels and mind in peak form.
Lindsey Tasker Cole
Physiotherapist, Pelvic Health Therapist, Vestibular Physiotherapist
