Workout in a Winter Wonderland
By Christopher Cumo
The torrid days of summer long gone, winter spreads across the earth with hanging shards of icicles and gusts of frigid air. Clad in snow, nature hibernates until spring returns. Winter's shortened days and low temperatures may tempt you to allow your fitness routine to lapse. Marathoner and mathematician Tom Osler admits to gaining 15 pounds during the winter months because he curtails his jogging regimen. Indeed during the worst weather – when snow and ice blanket the roads – joggers hesitate to lace up their shoes. Cyclists, even geared with the thickly studded tires of a mountain bike, also have trouble navigating the streets. But the alternative of a stint on a treadmill or a stationary bike, day after day ad nauseam, can become monotonous.
Children have the right idea. They frolic in the snow, make snow angels and snowmen, and have a delightful time outdoors. Adults who want to maintain their fitness routines all winter should emulate these youth by finding ways to build movement into winter's daily routine. A snowstorm is not an excuse for keeping indoors but rather an invitation to explore nature during a time of primal purity. Learn to look at the earth with sympathetic eyes, to see nature as a living entity. Snow enhances nature's crystalline beauty. Working out in winter is a spiritual as well as a physical undertaking.
The solution is to find a way of keeping fit while utilizing activities that take advantage of winter weather. A winter workout burns calories. The body expends extra calories to heat and humidify winter's cold, dry air as it enters the nasal passages. If under-clothed for the frosty temperatures, the body burns extra calories to warm itself, resulting in a 13 percent increase in calories burned compared to similar activity levels in the summer, calculates nutritionist Nancy Clark. And if you do decide to bundle up, you will burn an extra 10 percent if heavily attired due to lugging around the weight of extra clothes during a workout. Of course the best solution, admittedly the one that burns the least extra calories, is to dress in neither too few nor too many clothes, but rather wear a moderate amount. Layer clothes so you can strip off the outermost layer if you get too hot. Think of clothes as a way of creating a warm microclimate next to the skin even when temperatures fall below freezing.
The best winter workout is one that fits your interests and skill level. Many joggers gravitate toward cross-country skiing because of the similarities between the two activities. The legs, in pushing the skis forward and backward, mimic the motion of jogging. Although the poles and skis may look intimidating, the key is working them in synchrony: the left leg and right arm work together as do the right leg and left arm. The Cleveland Metroparks welcomes cross-country skiers as do Shawnee Hills Golf Course in Bedford, Sleepy Hollow Golf Course in Brecksville, and Big Met Golf Course and Little Met Golf Course, both in Rocky River.
Hiking is another activity well suited to winter, provided you adjust footwear to the reality of a snow-covered landscape. Running shoes may have been adequate in summer, but now they must cede ground to a stout pair of boots. (Make sure to break them in before undertaking a long hike; otherwise you are sure to blister.) For a challenge, try hiking in snowshoes. Because they are oversized, snowshoes require you to lift the legs high to clear the terrain, thereby strengthening the legs. Regardless, take advantage of the pristine conditions of new-fallen snow when nature is especially beautiful. Take a camera to capture the beauty of the landscape. Turn your hike into an exploration of nature. In this way hiking can boost emotional well-being as well as increase fitness.
Even winter's chores can be part of your fitness routine. Hard as it may be to believe, shoveling snow is a perfect complement to any fitness program. However, the way most people shovel snow is counterproductive. The tendency to bend over strains the lower back and can cause injury. The back and arms, at a mechanical disadvantage, struggle to lift a shovelful. Better to bend at the knees to get a real workout. By bending at the knees, the weight of snow is transferred to the quadriceps, four of the largest muscles in the body, rather than to the delicate muscles of the lower back. In this manner, shoveling snow becomes a series of squats with the legs in motion and the back, kept straight, safe from injury.
Once the snow has been cleared from the driveway, invent your own workout. Now that the quadriceps are warm and supple and your heart rate is elevated, take a jog around the neighborhood. Join your children in building a snowman. Split logs for the fireplace. What you do is less important than the fact that you are doing something. Keeping physically active in winter maintains fitness and wards off the winter doldrums. Keeping fit helps maintain a positive outlook – a precious commodity during winter when the dearth of sunlight leaves people vulnerable to depression. Keeping fit transforms your winter routine from a status of lethargy to an abundance of energy. With the right activity, and plenty of it, winter can be a time of good heath and good cheer.
An avid cyclist, Christopher Cumo rides even in frigid weather. He, his wife, two daughters and a Shih Tzu make their home in Canton.
