9 Tips to Stay Active During the Winter Months
When the weather outside is frightful, being inside can feel so delightful. The only issue with that approach? It keeps us sedentary and stationery, creating a whole host of health concerns ranging from weight gain to increased back, neck, and hip pain. So, what’s the answer? Is there a way to stay active during the winter without taking up arctic sports like ice climbing? Fortunately, the answer is yes. Here are nine of our favorite ways to get your heart rate up and keep your body healthy, even during the coldest months of the year. 9 Tips to Add Activity to Your Winters If you live in a cold environment, you know exactly how tough it can be to motivate yourself to do anything during the winter months. After all, who wants to leave the house when the thermometer hasn’t come up above zero? This winter, try these nine tips to stay in shape without putting yourself at risk of frostbite: 1. Look for Indoor Activities First If you’re a member at a local gym or fitness center, take a look at their winter schedule. Many gyms do indoor boot camps or fitness course designed to cater to people who want to keep working out but don’t want to venture into the great outdoors. Not only are these courses a great way to stay in shape, but they’re also a fun way to try something new, meet new people, and improve your functional fitness. 2. Put Activities on the Calendar Each Sunday, sit down and plan out your week of activities. Put them in the calendar as if you were scheduling a meeting, and treat them with the same level of obligation. This serves two important purposes. First of all, it requires you to be intentional about your weekly activities and to think about what you need to fit in if you’re trying to meet a weekly goal (a certain number of steps per week, for example, or total activity minutes). Secondly, it forces you to be creative and decreases the likelihood that you’ll run into a motivation slump and forget to work out. 3. Use Your High-Energy Hours to Your Advantage There are certain times of the day that you feel more active than others. Maybe you get up to power walk at 6 am all summer, but you can’t drag yourself out of bed before seven all winter long. Instead of fighting that, learn to work with it. Identify the times of the day when your energy levels are highest, and take advantage of them. Instead of trying to work out at the end of a workday, when you’re bone-tired, fit in a quick swim or a brisk hike in the morning hours, when you’re feeling energized and awake. 4. Dress Appropriately If you are going to venture outside, make sure you’re dressed for the elements. This means investing in high-quality layers that allow you the freedom to move and the warmth to stay out for as long as you want. For best results, look for active layers that wick moisture away from the body and keep you warm. Use a base layer, insulative layer, and top layer and carry a backpack or bag with you to stash the additional layers when you don’t need them any longer. 5. Bring a Buddy It’s hard enough to get outside during the winter, but it can be quite a bit easier when you bring a friend along. This winter, grab a buddy and try something new. Nordic skiing, for example, is an excellent, low-impact activity that provides some cardio and strength-training all at once. If you don’t want to invest in new equipment, head to your local sports store to rent a setup for the day. What better way to stay active than to try something new? 6. Go for a Walk Love walking but hate risking life and limb on sheets of ice? Take your walks indoors during the winter months. Even the most bare-bones fitness centers have a few treadmills, and it’s easy to hammer out a few miles after work or during your lunch break, If you’re one of the many people who gets bored on a treadmill bring your favorite podcast, book, or TV show with you and treat your exercise window as a time to double-up on the things you love. 7. Sign up for Holiday Runs Most communities do easy “fun runs” around the holidays. These runs – usually in the form of 5K walk/run races – are a great way to get outside and be active, without taking it to the nines. For a great experience, grab a few friends or your family, bundle up, and get out there! Bonus – most of these races send their proceeds directly to charity. 8. Adjust Your Expectations For many people, activity levels naturally dip a bit in the winter, and that’s not always something to be worried about. Instead of treating your workout regimen like a requirement, allow yourself some flexibility. For example, trade your morning run for a brisk walk, or swap an outdoor HIIT class for yoga. It’s all about balance during the winter months, and committing to that philosophy will help you stay healthy and injury-free. Even if you start small, the most important thing is simply to start. 9. Take the Stairs Every little bit counts when it comes to staying active during the winter. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk the three blocks to the local corner store instead of driving, or do some air squats in your living room. It’s the little things that combine to make up a healthy life. Welcome to Your Most Active Winter Yet Winter doesn’t mean the end of your regular activities. Instead, follow the tips in this post to make this winter your most active, healthy season yet! Need a skilled chiropractor to partner with you during the journey? Contact our offices to schedule your appointment today!
8 Benefits of Getting Your Workout in Water
What do the pool, beach, and ocean all have in common? Easy: they’re all an excellent place to get your daily workout! In addition to making your daily sweat sesh fun, working out in water also has some serious health benefits. Namely, it’s low impact on your joints and won’t worsen or inflame existing injuries or sore spots. Here’s everything you need to know about working out in water and why it could be such an excellent choice for you. 8 Benefits of Hydro Training Whether you go for a swim at the beach or take part in an aerobics class at your local gym, you’ll enjoy reaping these nine benefits: 1. Less Stress on Your Joints If you’ve got a bad knee or shoulder, which regular exercise tends to inflame,e look no further than hydro training. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people can exercise longer in water than they would on land since there is no increase in joint or muscle pain with increased effort. The CDC goes on to state: “For people with arthritis, it improves the use of affected joints without worsening symptoms. People with rheumatoid arthritis have more health improvements after participating in hydrotherapy than with other activities. Water-based exercise also improves the use of affected joints and decreases pain from osteoarthritis.” As you can see, swimming is an excellent option for anyone suffering from joint pain. It’s also one of the best ways to get a full-body workout without putting your body through the wringer in the process. 2. Better Health Swimming is truly a whole-body workout, and it helps you stay fit both inside and out. In recent years, studies have uncovered a link between swimming and improved immune function, lower stress levels, and decreased risk of chronic disease. According to the CDC, even two hours a week of swimming can reduce the risk of chronic illness. Additionally, swimming stimulates endorphin production, which can increase positivity, promote better sleep, and cut stress. 3. Swimming Offers Built-in Resistance When you think of resistance training, you might immediately bring to mind images of resistance bands and weights. That’s not truly necessary to get a great workout, though. In fact, swimming is one of the best resistance workouts out there. Because you’re propelling your body through water, which has much more resistance than air, you don’t have to add any props to ensure you’re working hard. This is part of the reason swimming is such an excellent activity for anyone who wants to improve strength and endurance. 4. You can Build Intensity Slowly Not quite Michael Phelps? That’s okay! Swimming allows you to build intensity and resistance slowly, ensuring your workout matches both your goals and your fitness level. Simple things, like swimming for a more extended period or adding a prop like a kickboard can change your workout entirely, making it harder or targeting specific muscle groups. Need to slow things down a bit? Incorporate more rest or take fewer laps around the pool! 5. You Won’t Get Hot If you, like many of us, have a small level of heat tolerance, swimming could be your ideal workout. While most activities at the gym require you to get hot and sweaty, swimming keeps you cool. There’s no question that working out is more enjoyable when you’re not overheating, or that it’s nice not to sweat through your shirt during your activity of choice. Don’t let the coolness of swimming fool you, though, water increases blood circulation and ensures your muscles and bones are getting all the vital support they need during your workout. 6. You Gain Skills Over Time It’s satisfying to observe yourself getting better at something. Swimming is no exception. While learning skills like breathing, sighting, and strokes can be difficult at first, they’ll improve if you stick with them. This improvement builds confidence and helps you feel more accomplished in your daily workouts. 7. You can Swim at Any Age There are probably 80-year old Crossfit athletes out there, but not many of them. That’s because Crossfit and other HIIT activities are tough on your body, and will cause your joints to break down over time. That typically rules them out for seniors and older adults who want to stay active. Swimming, however, is a wonderfully low-impact activity that you can do from childhood well into old age. Even better, you’re not just limited to swimming. Try a hydro interval training class, water aerobics, or even paddleboard yoga to get your share of splashy fun. 8. It can Improve Your Posture When you swim or work out in the water, there’s no temptation to hunch your body under weight. This helps preserve the integrity of your spine and ensure that you’re not inadvertently injuring yourself when you’re trying to workout. Because of this, swimming is a chiropractor-approved activity that supports your overall spine and joint health. Hit the Water for a Body-Healthy Workout You’ll Love If you’ve been looking for a way to take your workout to the next level, get out of the gym and head to the beach, pool, or ocean. Swimming, hydro interval training, and other water-based activities are an excellent choice for anyone who wants to build strength and endurance and tone muscles while also preventing injury and excess strain on the joints. Want to learn more about swimming and other spine-friendly activities? Contact our team of chiropractic specialists today!