02 Dec 12 NYC Personal Trainer Tips to Stay Active in Winter
With the holidays upon us and winter’s bite, it’s hard to find the time and place to be active during the winter months. Most of my clients live in small apartments. Many of us can’t afford a gym membership. Finding ways to keep our bodies moving in these cold, uninspiring months can be complicated.
But when we make movement a mindset, we can find activity in almost everything we do, and definitely every day.
Here are twelve tips to stay active in winter:
It’s winter, not the apocalypse: It happens every year, so now it’s time you start to enjoy it. Go out and build snowmen, have a snowball fight. Go ice skating for the first time ever. Change the way you think about winter, and you’ll be surprised at how many things you can do.
Invest in thermal underwear – a good pair (silk, wool, synthetic) – and venture out into the cold. And walk. Fast. Take a twenty to thirty minute walk – preferably after the ice has melted. As soon as you return home, make sure you take off your wet, sweaty clothes, dry off and warm up.
Here’s a helpful chart that tells you how long you can go outside, safely, when it’s cold.
Go shopping! We’re right in time for the holidays, and many of us are making trips to the mall (for those of you who have malls nearby). Walk it before you shop it. Go up and down the stairs of the mall and walk through every nook and cranny. There’s a lot of mileage you can get when mall walking.
Go shopping … Online. Free up valuable movement time by shopping online. This will give you time to get out and play!
Forego the cab, subway or bus: Carve out an extra 20 minutes in your morning, at lunchtime, or even when you need to get to the grocery store. Walk instead of taking your regular transportation. What a great way to clear your head and get your blood pumping.
Always take the stairs: If you work on the 50th floor and don’t want to get all sweaty, consider taking the elevator to the 30th floor, or 40th floor and walk the rest of the way up. Add a flight of stairs each week.
Try yoga: The great thing about yoga is you don’t need a lot of space. Find your favorite yoga channel or Youtube videos and take a half an hour each day in the morning or evening to do yoga.
Park in the last spot: Add steps whenever you can. Take the last parking spot at the grocery store, museum, the office party, or anywhere else you go. Make sure you’re wearing good tennis shoes or boots so you don’t slip and slide on ice.
Museum walk: New York City is replete with amazing museums. In fact, all big cities in the States have museums. Enjoy art, natural history and keep your heartbeat up.
Make movement family time: Look for nearby trails and places to sled, cross country ski, snowshoe and more. Try USA Track and Field for nearby routes.
Do a city walking tour: Most cities have walking tours and landmarks. Make it a family goal to visit two landmarks each weekend until the end of the winter.
Enjoy: Try new things. Do things you love and make you feel good. If you love dancing, dance. If you love walking in the snow, walk in the snow. Find ways to celebrate the season by staying active and moving during it!
So, if the impending winter months have you in the hum-drums, change the way you think about winter, and find ways to celebrate and move during the winter months. You might surprise yourself and be a winter fan after all.