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Is your cold weather workout a winner?
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Andi Gabrick posted:
Call me crazy, but I still run outdoors during the winter months. The treadmill just isn't my thing, so I layer, layer, layer and brave the cold. What about you--what's your winter workout strategy when the mercury dips?

Take our Healthy Start Challenge! Post your go-to winter weather workout here for a chance to win a $20 Whole Foods gift certificate!
Reply
 
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Haylen_WebMD_Staff responded:
Hi Andi! I'm a new moderator in the WebMD community and I live and exercise in Southern California. My biggest winter challenge is (occasional) rain. We're in the middle of a storm now so I will be watching this thread closely.

When we do get hit with the wet stuff, I hit the local library and check out several work out DVDs - new and "classic" to find the right fit for that week.

I heard that Santa might be delivering a Wii to our house so that opens up a whole new area of indoor fitness.
 
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jhilton1 responded:
I stick with my kick boxing routine, but I love sledding (think running up hills multiple times) and shoveling snow is an awesome cardio and abs workout!
 
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Jis4Judy responded:
My winter workouts are almost the same as all year
I bundle up and take my walks as long as there isn;t icey conditions .. if that happens I use my recumbent bike and step up my calisthentics and weight lifting .. this is working for me
Hugs Judy:)
 
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Jis4Judy replied to Jis4Judy's response:
Oh 0ne more thing
I also do jumping jacks when My Patriots score touchdowns and field goals 1 for each point and high kicks with a clap of my hands under each leg 1 for each point per leg .. this makes watching my favorite team an activity instead of sedentary whatching ...
Hugs Judy:)
 
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Andie_WebMD_Staff replied to Jis4Judy's response:
Judy, your Patriots are rockin' the NFL this year, so with all those jumping jacks and high kicks, you must be fit as a fiddle!

Just be watching for my Bears redemption next time we meet the Pats!. LOL ;)

Here in AZ, we don't get extreme cold, but for us anything below 70 is freezing! My solution when it's cold and windy is to use our Rec Center's indoor track. It costs about $2 for day use and while I'm in there I go ahead and take advantage of the weight room and sauna, too.

Another option we use during the summer (our extreme weather time) is to look for indoor classes, like Zumba, Yoga, or even water aerobics. Where there's a will there's a way, right?

~Andie
 
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Alfae responded:
Season Greetings Andi,

I like to start my morning off with 15 minutes of jumping rope on my patio, some days I run when it's not raining and get my runner's high on. I simply turn on my up beat music and pretend I'm in training for what ever! This really gets me going in the morning and ready for the day's task. After my workout I follow up with a high dietary fiber breakfast. I cool down with meditation and prayer.

Great Health To You!

Alice Fae,BA,,MA
 
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kalamantina responded:
Hi,
I still perform the majority of my weight training and cardio, one difference in winter is :
I take less brakes in between sets, so I finish a bench press, go straight and do an ab crunch, then hit the bench again, minimum break. That way I keep a heart rate up.
another thing I am picking up now is biking, I bought a full winter cycling outfit and honestly once you start biking,, you can barely feel the cold.
 
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mojo60 responded:
I don't do anything outdoors in the winter. It's too cold and/or foggy plus unless it's raining every day, you can see what you breathe. So this year, I cycle on my recumbent bike for 20 mins @ 90 rpm and go to the gym for aqua aerobics in a heated pool.
 
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Jis4Judy replied to Andie_WebMD_Staff's response:
LOl Andie I think your Bears took all their frustrations out on the vikings last week ...
and maybe they can help us out and beat the jets this week LOL
How come you aren't a cardinals fan you are in Arizona,?
I spent almost 3 years in Phoenix AZ as a teenager loved the weather there picnics on Newyears day can;t do that here..
Hugs Judy:)
 
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Andie_WebMD_Staff replied to Jis4Judy's response:
Heehee...yes we did, Judy! We clinched the NFC North, but still need to send the Packers packing this week! BIG rivalry..especially in my house! :)

I am still a Cards fan, because I live here and I respected Kurt Warner. Now he's gone though, and my Bears are kicking butt. The first pro-football game I ever went to was a couple years ago for the Cards vs Eagles playoff here in AZ! What a game!!!

Good thing I didn't know about our deal with jumping jacks & high kicks then or I may have jacked someone in the back of the head with all my aerobics! LOL
 
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Beetle58 responded:
As an avid cyclist, when the temperature drops below 50 degrees, I resort to my awesome indoor virtual training station. As you can see in the picture below, it includes a fan (to cool me off), a TV & DVD player with speakers (it gets a little noisy) for a little entertainment or motivation while I work out, and the main ingredient, my CompuTrainer system which is a computer controlled resistance device. It is quite sophisticated as it give you dynamic feedback on your workout such as speed (current/average/maximim), distance, cadence, power, heart rate, % grade, etc. and you can even race and/or draft off a virtual pacer or saved previous performance. There are hundreds of courses to ride, so you never get bored and you can even design your own, which I have done to simulate some of the races I compete in over the summer.
It is safe (no cars, sand, gravel or ice) and you can jump on it any time, day or night. Also, cycling is much easier on the joints and the cardio/ aerobic benefits are well documented.
For me, this workout is a winner on all counts, and the next best thing to riding outdoors until the warm weather returns!


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