Do Not Let Your Cardio Go With the Time Change!
November 2nd, 2009
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by Jodi · Filed Under: Training
The clocks have been pushed back, it’s colder in the morning, it’s dark out at 4pm in the afternoon…HELP! I’m losing my workout mojo again!
Honestly, I loathe the winter time. If I could move to Florida (and know that when I came home from work my house wasn’t blown away in a hurricane or taken over by flying cockroaches) I honestly would. I would love to be able to work out outside all the time. I love the sound of nature, the difficulty of an outdoor workout and the freedom from the time ticker on a cardio machine. But alas, I live in New England and it is that time of year again. It is time for me to become creative and find something that gets me going when I don’t want to do anything but curl up in a ball on the couch with a Snuggie (no, I don’t own one yet but I am obsessed)!
One of the most successful things that I have found to work for me is to change my cardio based on the seasons—or at least time intervals of weeks. This helps tremendously and keeps me from getting in a cardio rut. If you have the luxury of being able to do this—do it!
Right now it is windy and unpredictable so my workouts have moved to the street where I will either bike now or hill walk. I live in the hilliest area of my city and I love it. In the summer it was all about field workouts and track workouts because the grass was conducive to direction change (no leaves on the ground) and great traction. The winter is now upon us almost and I am considering my next outdoor adventure: snow shoeing. Yes…snow shoeing.
I have never done it but I am really looking forward to trying it. Not sure if I am going to or not, but it is a definite possibility. I want to stay outside. I am not a long distance runner—I am a sprinter by DNA—so that’s not really appealing to me and biking becomes dangerous once the snow falls. So I am left with no choice other than to become really creative with my cardio if I want to stay outside for the majority of my workouts.
Now if you know me you know that this is going to last until the first real cold day and then I’ll be over it faster than you can say 9-10 cardio! Then I’ll hunker down to a nice kettlebell workout or a heavy complex and use that for cardio til it thaws out.
No matter what your weapon of choice is, find something that brings out the kid in you. Nothing stresses me out more than looking into the eyes of the drones on the elliptical machines in the gym who have been sucked into the land of mindless cardio. There has to be more to life than that and I am punking you right now to find it. Man up and get out there and find a great cardio alternative!…and then come back and share! WOOP WOOP!:o)
I’m going to try snow shoeing this year for sure! I put it off last year. There’s no excuse here. The National Park Service will take you up on Hurricane Ridge for $5 for 90 minutes of guided shoeing. They provide everything. Woot!
It does not even require a season change for me to be in a cardio rut. Just saying “cardio” does it. But these ideas are great. Easy for me to say, I live in a warm climate. But still. One of my very fave for an easier long-duration cardio is a nice long hike in the North Georgia mountains. Autumn leaves, waterfalls… Can’t beat it! Snowshoeing would be fab! The company my sister works for (Boston based!) offers those and much more: Appalachian Mountain Club “AMC” http://www.outdoors.org/
I love a good barbell complex no matter what the weather! But now you have me thinking I should go heavier. I usually use 50#’s but I’m Jodio-Jonesin’ to own a cap barbell for my home workouts when I am too wimpy to hit the gym during snowy weather.
Sandi! That is flippin’ awesome!! I wonder if Blue Hills near me has something like that…
Heather! I hear you! Cardio is not my favorite!
Joanna! Go as heavy as your weakest exercise can handle and then kill it! LMK how you do!:o)
i found last year that i loved trail/snow running. ok so this can be dangerous and usually i hate running, but i put on a good pair of trail shoes, found some easy hiking trails, and then just went for a jog/hike through the snow. i loved it! b/c it was a combo of hiking and running and sliding on your bum, it kept things interesting. ususally only good in the middle of the day when it was warm enough though!
Allison! I love the sound of that! Did you wear cleat-type trail shoes or just regular trail sneakers?…Again…I’m back to Blue Hills!lol:o)
HI Jodi!! I love snow shoeing!! It is so fun. I do alot of it here in New Hampshire and the UNH trails are fun too. I also do snow shoe jogging! Now that is a killer!! I have a funny photo of me falling thru ice (I didn’t know it was there under the snow) up to my knees! I had my boots, snow shoes buckled tight! I was stuck! I got out ok though! Also, cross country skiing is so fun too and it’s a workout too. Come to NH and I will take you snow shoeing!!! Love your blogs, keep them coming!!
I miss the snow
we left the east coast about 8 years ago and its only lately the TX weather seems…..not as fun.
shall I come visit?
Thanks for the tip! Seriously! I’m doing complexes today and I’m going to implement your advice.
i just used regular trail shoes…probably why i ended up on my butt from time to time! this year up in buffalo i think i will invest in some snow shoes
we should for sure have enough snow to use them in!
Lynn: I just might take you up on that.
Miz: Oh please come visit! We’d have a ball!
Joanna: Tell me how it goes, girl!
Allison: Is this the first winter there? Dying to know what it’s like. Do share!:o)
I found some: walking indoors (walking off the lbs. dvd level 3 or 4), jump rope (really has me sweating even after just 5 mins), surprisingly dancing to good upbeat music especially in between the jumprope, and walking mixed with jumproping.