My Journey With Health And Fitness – Getting Ready For The Cold

So far this week I have had several good days of workouts. I am back to doing many walks each day and moreover, I realized my core exercises had kind of dropped off the radar so I have started including them into my daily routine again. I have to admit I am feeling pretty good about myself and I will be happy if I can do 5 days of multiple walks this week. I know Saturday I won’t get as much in as I am attending a Celebration of Light for a family member, however, I figure if I hit 90 km this week I will call it a success.

Only a couple weeks ago we were still experiencing summer like weather with temperatures still in the 20’s. Now, the mornings are barely making it past zero and it is about to get worse. Add to that we are about to have another atmospheric river starting today so my treadmill is also getting a work out. It’s not that I won’t go out in the cold, I just won’t go out in the cold when it is raining or, as it likely will be the beginning of next week, snowing (I’ve already reminded my seniors’ walking group that the rule is no walking when it is snowing regardless of the amount). So, time to get myself prepped to deal with the winter and not lose momentum.

I make sure that I am well equipped for the cold. I do this because just the thought of months of having to walk on the treadmill simply because it is cold makes me want to give up. Instead I make sure I am dressed so that I can be comfortable. It’s no different than trying to walk/run in the summer in that I wear clothing that will fit the climate. For the cold weather I tend to wear t-shirts for my workout combined with light weight exercise pants. I then layer up with my light weight, moisture wicking running jacket over which I wear my heavier running jacket (if I get too warm the outer jacket gets taken off and wrapped around my waist). I also add a toque and gloves to finish off the ensemble both of which can be removed and stuffed in a pocket if I start over heating. All of these items help to allow me to continue to be outdoors as much as possible but not freeze my butt off.

There is a new item that I am trying this year, a running vest. Now this is the first time I will be trying this but I often notice during colder weather that runners tend to wear a long sleeved shirt (of in my case my light weight running jacket) cover by a vest. I decided I am going to give that I try next week to see if that keeps me warm enough. If nothing else it will make me look kind of stylish.

Please note, I may not be posting on Saturday due to the COL that I am attending as I have a feeling it will be a long day of visiting relative many of whom we have not seen in nearly 3 years. If I get a chance I will post but don’t expect to see anything.