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Showing posts with label Winter Activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter Activities. Show all posts

Ice Storm Exercises in Toronto

Hello fellow Torontonians!

Wow that was quite the ice storm last night. Here is some exercise and safety tips for things for you to do today!!! Stay safe and don't drive today.

#1. Clear the ice off your car.

#2. Clear the ice off your driveway.

#3. Clear the broken ice covered branches off your lawn and streets near your home.

#4. Avoid downed power lines. Leave those to repair crews.

#5. Watch out for falling ice. Avoid walking under large trees that have lots of ice covered branches on them that are creaking under the weight.

#6. Walk to the local hardware store for supplies. Don't drive! The roads are too icy!

#7. Walk to the homes of elderly neighbours and see if they need anything. Be helpful!

#8. Clear the sidewalk of ice.

#9. Take the dog for a walk and take photos of the ice storm wreckage.

#10. Dress with lots of layers with warm gloves, hats and more!




8 Christmas Day Exercises for the Whole Family

Looking for something fun to do on Christmas Day that is also exercise for the whole family?

#1. Go for a walk in the neighbourhood and go carolling. Find some Christmas songs online, print them out for the kids, take candles with you - and take a walk around your neighbourhood and visit all the neighbours you know and like (and even a few you don't like). With any luck other neighbours might join in!

#2. Take a Winter Hike - If the weather is reasonably tolerable, pack up the whole family, get lots of warm clothes on, and head somewhere hike-able and scenic. It doesn’t have to be a mountain - maybe just a hill or a neighbourhood with lots of pretty Christmas lights on houses. Getting outside and getting some fresh air will feel good. Remember how endorphins make people happy? Go out and get some endorphins!

#3. Ice Skating - Many ice rinks are open to the public on Christmas Eve and / or Christmas Day. You will need your own ice skates (or find a rink that rents ice skates).

#4. Snow Ball Fight - Remember no throwing ice at each other, that could hurt. But throwing packing snow or fluffy snow at each other, perfectly fine. Just don't forget to dodge and run around things to protect yourself from flying snowballs.


#5. Build a Snowman, the BIGGEST one you can! Rolling giant snowballs is hard, but it makes for great exercise.

#6. Skiing / Snowboarding - Whether you go cross country skiing, downhill skiing, or snowboarding you will get a good workout. If you have small kids stick to the smaller hills / easier routes.

#7. Go Sledding - Dragging a sled up a hill again and again is great cardio, and the ride back down is certain to be fun!

#8. Build a Snowfort - Like building a snowman, building a snowfort can be a fun challenge for the whole family. Be certain to build it in a safe manner so if you have small children that there aren't any pieces that could fall on them. You can even decorate your snowfort using food colouring!

Build a Beach Perfect Body - In The Winter!!!

It is November and it is starting to snow in Toronto maybe once per week. By December it will be snowing more regularly. By January there will be a foot of snow on the ground.

But if you count the months until mid June (the start of swimsuit season) then there is November, December, January, February, March, April and May - 7 months to get prepared if your goal is to lose weight and look fit for swimsuit season.

Now pay attention... most people only start trying to get fit a month or two before swimsuit season - and most of them FAIL to meet their exercise / weight loss goal.

The reason why is because they are focusing all of their exercise goals into a month or two month period and then wonder why they failed. When asked why they will point to reasons like not enough time, the workouts were too difficult, they fell off the wagon diet wise, lack of motivation and so forth.

I argue that they need to change their approach.

#1. Stop trying to do everything a month or two before swimsuit season. Start exercising NOW, many months before swimsuit season is even close. Thus their excuse that they didn't have enough time will be null and void.

#2. By doing the first it also means the workouts don't need to be quite so intense. People burn out and lose motivation if their workouts are too intense. In contrast if they start exercising over a 6 month period their workouts will be about one third the intensity of a 2 month workout regimen designed to accomplish the same goal. Thus the second excuse about workouts being too difficult will likewise be null and void.

#3. If you are going to make lifestyle / dietary changes you need to make permanent changes that you can stick with it. Now I admit that means making changes during the Christmas holiday season - a season during which many people are prone to binge eating on chocolate treats, xmas dinners, etc. But it can be done and you can do it if you give it an honest try. Start by making the switch to dark chocolate only (70% or better) - no more sugary chocolate or "white chocolate". Eat more veggies during xmas dinners and make fruits and vegetables part of every meal you eat, and every snack. Find the fruits and veggies you love and stock up on healthy foods you love.

#4. Find ways to motivate yourself. Music I find is a great motivator. Another way to motivate is to use fun activities that you enjoy doing. eg. Ice skating, downhill skiing, or just plain going for an afternoon walk and taking your camera with you.

Wait, its cold outside! I hate going outside in the cold!

Then invest in some thermal underwear. Learn how to layer clothing so you don't feel the cold. Get tight fitting clothes that fits really well and keeps you warm. Wear 3 or 4 layers under your jacket, get good thermal gloves, a neck warmer, hat, thermal longjohns for wearing under your pants/jeans, warm boots, thick socks - and voila! You will probably be so warm you will be unzipping layers!

Dressed like that and you can go jogging / winter walks / ice skating / tobogganing like when you were a kid and you won't really be bothered by the cold at all.

Next you need to avoid the temptation to just relax all winter indoors watching cable television, mucking around on Facebook and nonsensical videos on YouTube. Cancel the cable (33% of it is advertising anyway), take a vacation from Facebook, and go outside and make your own winter oriented videos and then post them on YouTube instead of watching other people's junk.

Things To Do This Winter!

#1. Cross Country Skiing - burns a tonne of calories! Burns 500 to 700 calories per hour depending on your weight.

#2. Take Up the Biathlon - cross country skiing with a rifle on your back! Yeehaw! Who says cross country skiing isn't a manly sport???

#3. Archery Biathlon - don't like guns? Take up the archery biathlon. Basically the same idea, but using a bow and arrow.

#4. Snow Shoeing - also burns lots of calories. Good for balance training too, plus it doubles as weightlifting for your legs. Try it and you will see how hard it is.

#5. Snowboarding - Good for cardio and balance. Works your abs too!

#6. Downhill Skiing - Same as snowboarding, makes for fun cardio.

#7. Ice Skating - Great cardio and balance training.

#8. Hockey - On skates or as Road Hockey, this sport will get you outside and having fun while also providing great cardio. Just don't forget to shout CAR!!!

#9. Shoveling Snow - Okay so technically it is not a sport... but it is very good cardio and weightlifting exercise. Shoveling snow is very hard so if you have a poor heart be certain to take it easy while shoveling snow because it is so difficult people are known to have heart attacks.

#10. Taking the dog for a walk - Seriously. Pets need to get outside and exercise too. So take the dog for a walk as often as you can. Or better yet, try competitive dog jogging.



Revamping Your Workout

Every winter I change up my exercise routine.

2 winters ago I was doing lots of situps, pushups, jumping jacks and a variety of body weight exercises for building core strength. Because I love using traditional exercises.

Last winter I was focusing on upper body muscle gain - shoulders, triceps, biceps, etc.

This coming winter I want to focus on my abs.

Which means a combination of cardio exercises (likely utilizing the Afterburn Effect so I can shed a few extra pounds and avoid the post-Christmas paunch) and ab workouts.

I also want to focus on upper body strength again this year, but this time doing more pushups to target my pectorals, triceps and back muscles.

However knowing how to revamp my workout in this way takes years to determine what "B" exercises I need to do in order to get "A" results. (And what kind of "C" diet I should be eating.)

And this is just one of the many services a personal trainer can help you with. (Hint hint, hire me!)

So what are the results I am looking for? Nicer abs and pecs. I am easy to please that way. But it will also up my archery form by giving me better mirror muscles - right now I have overdeveloped back muscles and I need to fix this by working on my front muscles more, namely the abs and pecs. The overdeveloped back muscles is because I have been doing archery almost every day this Summer.

So what will my personal workout look like this winter? (I say winter, but I am starting this workout in Autumn.)

Well I am still fine tuning it, but here goes...

MY NEW WINTER WORKOUT ROUTINE

High Intensity Jumping Jacks, 3 times MAE (Morning, Afternoon, Evening). 200 each time.

2 sets of 25 pushups, 3 times MAE.

YOGA, 20 minutes in the morning.

Pectoral and Shoulder focused weightlifting, afternoon.

Situps with Weights and resistance bands, evening.

Oblique Twists x 100, afternoon.

Squats x 100, evening.

MUSIC

Now you might go, wait, music? Yes. Music. I do all my weightlifting, yoga, etc while listening to music. I have gotten bored of the songs I was listening to last winter so it is time to revamp my playlist so I feel more revved up while exercising. Gonna Fly Now will still be on my exercise music playlist however, as will Eye of the Tiger.


DIET

Diet wise I have increased my green tea intake (for its anti-toxin properties), and I want to explore new vegan recipes this winter. I am not fabulous in the kitchen, but I can follow a recipe. I want more vegan recipes because I am no expert at cooking veggies and I want to increase my veggie intake.

Last winter and the year before I was experimenting a lot with high protein pancakes and that is too high in carbs (although I was getting a lot of protein from them), so this year I want to explore more low carb alternatives that are still high in protein. Less flour and more eggs.

Mmm... Chocolate!

On the topic of dieting I will admit I do have several Achilles heels.

#1. Bacon. That is a whole other topic but basically I practice only eating bacon in small portions and as part of a balanced diet.

#2. Chocolate. The topic of this post.

I started limiting my chocolate intake many years ago when I learned that 90% of the world's chocolate is made using child labour in Africa - and if you know anything about that topic then you know child labour is basically child slavery.

Chocolate sold in North America is often very high in sugar. Especially so-called white chocolate and milk chocolate. White chocolate has zero cocoa in it. And milk chocolate often doesn't even have milk in it - and is just very high in sugar.

So when I do buy chocolate I often aim for dark chocolate (preferably over 70% cocoa) because it is healthier - and fair trade chocolate that wasn't made using child labour.

Cocoa in small doses is good for you health wise. It boosts your metabolism, gives you pleasant feelings, encourages weight loss and a host of other health benefits. Dark chocolate is - without a doubt - the healthiest way to consume cocoa.

It is when you start consuming chocolate in overly large doses - especially chocolate which is high in sugar - that it becomes a danger to your waistline.

In the winter I recommend eating a small dose of dark chocolate before going ice skating or doing other outdoor winter activities.

Bored of exercising indoors? Time to find a friend and try something new!

Q

"Hello!

I am bored of exercising indoors. I have been stuck inside most of the winter and Spring doesn't seem to be coming fast enough. However I hate exercising outside when its so cold outside. What can I be doing instead?


I’m an avid runner/cyclist – anything outdoors - but only when it is warm enough to be doing so. How do I stay motivated to train despite the cold?

- Angela W."

A

Hello Angela!

I empathize with you. I don't even bother to bicycle during the winter and I do cycling outdoors (those people who take spin classes and cycle at gyms are crazy in my opinion). However never fear! I have a couple of tricks that I use to motivate myself to train during the winter. You are welcome to use these ideas to help you train during the winter.

#1. It is always more fun to train with a friend, regardless of the season. It will help keep you motivated even when it is freezing cold outside. Try enlisting an exercise buddy or hiring a personal trainer here in Toronto (hint hint). If you can find a friend the two of you can motivate each other - plus twice the brain power means you will come with extra exercise ideas together - like going dancing or taking dance lessons together. It gets you out of the house, it is still technically indoors, but at least you are out trying something new as a cardio exercise.

Even if you don't have a friend to go with you dance classes can be a great way to exercise as a group and meet new friends.

#2. I like to remind myself of how great I feel after a workout. I know that any workout, even an indoor workout, will make me feel better than no workout. Relish in that feeling. It doesn't matter whether the workout is cardio, yoga, weightlifting or even a series of stretches. The more wonderful I feel after I have a workout the more likely I am to stick with it and keep exercising.

#3. Schedule it. I find this helps regardless of what the weather is doing. By having a specific spot in my schedule where I know I have to do something - even if its laundry or washing the dishes - any kind of chore, exercise, task, etc should be scheduled to make sure you do it. I personally have multiple alarms during the day reminding me to do every thing from get up, go jogging, do my daily exercise routine, go to events with friends. Each alarm on my phone has a different song that plays for each task. That way I know what it is and it reminds that it is time to do that task.

#4. I also like to remind myself that having a break between my work periods is beneficial. Sometimes I even have afternoon naps (siestas) to replenish my energy.

#5. Next I challenge myself to do activities that I am not as familiar with - such as trying new exercises that I find online. YouTube is a great source for new exercises, but I also have a lot listed here on CardioTrek for you to browse.

#6. Set a goal. It will help motivate you to stay active so make it a good goal worth aiming for - and make it realistic over the long term so you know you have to stick with it to achieve it. It might be as simple as a big number like aiming to do 10,000 push-ups in 3 months (roughly 112 push-ups per day). That is a completely realistic goal - but imagine how much more fit you will be after completing 10,000 pushups over a 3 month period. Other goals might include 100 yoga classes, running in a marathon, competing in a bicycle race (you don't need to win, you just need to show up and complete the race), trying a new sport like speed skating. Lots of options out there.

Speaking for myself my current goal is to strengthen all the muscles I need for my new 45 lb recurve bow for archery. It is 11 lbs harder to pull than my old 34 lb recurve bow.

If you can't stay away from cycling and running completely, then go ahead and do indoor versions of each. Run on a treadmill, take spin classes or use a bike trainer. I may personally think those things are ridiculous, but for the people who can't stand the cold weather they are certainly an option.

The bike trainer is a fantastic route, because it allows you to put your actual road bike on a stand and cycle. Whenever we get nice weather then you can cycle and run outside when possible (March is sketchy at times that you will sometimes have a hot day when you can do that.

So far the weather in Toronto has been pretty horrible, but cheer up. I am sure the weather will start to get better soon!

Working Out Despite the Winter Blues

Not everyone wants to run outside, wearing 4 or 6 layers, a face mask and boots in the winter.

To be fair I hate running in the winter. I stick to the indoors, doing jumping jacks, yoga, weightlifting and other activities to stay active in the winter. Jogging can wait til Spring arrives.

Being a fair weather runner is nothing to be ashamed of. Some people just don't like the cold, but that doesn't Winter should spell the end of your exercise activities.

Yes, you could go brave it in the chilly and freezing Winter mornings, pounding the pavement... But there is nothing wrong with choosing a treadmill instead.

Many fitness enthusiasts dread the cold weather because their exercise options become limited, and let's face it, jogging on a treadmill can be really boring!
 

Four Winter Workout Suggestions
 

#1. Step up the weight routine
Winter is a great time to focus on weight lifting - That was my big thing this winter, I did a lot of weightlifting at home this winter. Strength training has so many benefits, and it's an exercise that can be done alone, in a class or with a friend. It's also a great perk that it shows results relatively quickly in terms of muscle growth!

#2. DVDs / YouTube
There are plenty of yoga, strength and cardio DVDs out there - many of them are dirt cheap, because who uses DVDs these days when YouTube offers the same stuff for free? You can find lots of exercise videos to help keep you occupied during the winter on YouTube alone, so you don't really need to invest in DVDs at all.


#3. Wii Fit

Exercise oriented video games (especially the high cardio ones) are a great way to get yourself moving a lot more in the winter. Avoid the more lazy games that don't actually get you moving. Stick to the games that actually cause you to lose your breath, sweat and become tired. That way you know you are getting a workout instead of just moving your arm around a little bit.

#4. Hire a Personal Trainer/Build a Home Gym
 

One way to never feel the dread of the upcoming cold months is to build your own gym at home. Even a small set up consisting of free weights and a stationary bike will go a long way toward keeping/getting you in shape. Make better use of your equipment by hiring a personal trainer (like me if you live in Toronto) to show you fun exercises, and to develop a plan to follow on your own.

Winter Weight Gain - What to do about it!

Okay so you've put on some weight during the Winter - especially around the Xmas Holidays.

But now it is February and its time to start thinking Spring - and Summer is mere months away!

Isn't it convenient how the holidays are right before New Years? Not really, because most people break their New Years Resolutions in the first 2 weeks - and a bunch of people will never even start! After indulging for a few days they eventually just forget about any resolutions they might have had... and then in March they start to panic when they realize the weather is getting warmer and they've gained 10 or 20 lbs during the winter and have done nothing to shed it.

If you are one of those people who gain weight every Winter and then - hopefully - lose it by Spring/Summer then I have a little advice for you - Start exercising now! Because the older you get the more difficult it will be keep up that routine. Yes, the idea of resolutions are quite motivating, but if you don't actually DO them whats the point?!

So its time to accelerate your weight weight loss - start thinking in terms of the following: Exercising 1 hour per day is only 4% of your day. And that is all it takes to make a huge difference in your waistline.

TIP #1. Increase time and/or intensity

If you have already been exercising, and your calorie intake has been greater than expenditure, then your usual workout routine will not speed up the weight loss process because you're eating too much junk and not exercising enough. You need to pick up the pace for a week or two.

Ways to do this? Keep the amount of workout time the same, but increase the amount of reps you do by taking less breaks between exercises. If you're lifting weights, decrease the weight but increase the reps a lot. eg. Lets say you are usually lifting 20 lb weights during your exercises and you do 30 reps at a time. Decrease the weight to 15 lbs, but lift 50 reps instead. Doing the math that is 20 x 30 = 600 Vs 15 x 50 = 750. That simple change increases the intensity by 25%. You won't build muscle as quickly, but you will burn fat faster by increasing the reps dramatically. (Weightlifting doesn't really work to burn fat that well unless its more like aerobics with weights added.)

Alternatively, if you have the extra time to exercise longer, then do so. Increase the amount of time you exercise by 25 to 50% longer than your normal workout and use that time to do more cardio / aerobic activities.

TIP #2. Change Your Workout

Many personal trainers (including myself) advise that surprising the body into sudden changes is something to be considered all year around. Sticking to the same routine every time you work out results in plateaus wherein you end up maintaining a specific weight and you aren't challenging yourself any more. If you want to see progressive results then you need to be constantly changing and progressing your workout to a higher level.

This works with sports too. Someone new to boxing won't be able to do 15 three-minute rounds - they just won't have the stamina for it. That is something for professional boxers only. Amateur boxing matches for teenagers start at 3 rounds, with 1.5 minutes per round... and depending on their age can go for up to 4 rounds at 2 minutes per round. (Amateur boxing has a lot of rules.)

TP #3. Detox Time!

Cut out smoking, alcohol, caffeine and anything containing toxins. At least until you achieve your weight loss goals.

Nutrition plays a big role in accelerating your weight loss and intaking toxins will only slow down your progress. Your body stores toxins in fat cells and then refuses to use those fat cells because your blood toxicity is too high - thus making "Stubborn Fat" that refuses to go away no matter how hard you exercise. The only way to get rid of it is to detoxify.

It is not simply a matter of avoiding sweets, rich cheese, crackers and big dinners, the weight will start to drop if you can watch your calories and remove your intake of toxins. Start by going on a "mini detox diet" wherein you stop eating junk food and avoid cigarettes/alcohol and caffeine for at least 5-7 days. If you can go longer than that, do it. The first three days will be the hardest if you are a cigarette smoker / alcoholic, but once you get over the three day hump you can do it.

To help you detoxify faster eat more green vegetables, as the alkaline in the greenery will help neutralize the toxic elements in your blood. Go lighter on carbohydrates too and aim for more protein (eggs, lean meat) in your dishes to make up for it. Drink plenty of water and green tea, and don't wait until you are starving to eat. Instead eat lots of healthy snacks as often as you can.

eg. I never get tired of carrot sticks. I am eating some right now.

TIP #4. Open the Window Drapes and Go Outside More

Vitamin D from the Sun kickstarts your metabolism, gives you more Happy hormones and causes your body to stop storing so much fat. The simple act of opening the window drapes really wide so you get more sunlight on your skin helps you to lose weight. Going outside and getting more sun helps even more.

You can also get more Vitamin D by eating various foods like fish, eggs and mushrooms - or take Vitamin D supplements. See my post Vitamin D, Essential for your Winter Diet.

TIP #5. Take Up a Winter Sport

Get ice skating lessons in Toronto, take up snowshoeing, snowboarding, cross-country or downhill skiing, go tobaggoning with friends, go jogging on any day that it isn't snowing, do volunteer work, shovel snow from your driveway AND your neighbours driveways - basically do anything that gets you outside and exercising so you get both more exercise and more Vitamin D in your system.

TIP #6. Get a Part Time Job that gets you Exercising Outside

Nothing is more motivating than getting paid to exercise. It might be simple like holding a sign and directing traffic around construction workers on the roads, or you might be painting houses or moving furniture. Either way if it gets you outside more often and gets you working hard you will see the benefits both in weight loss and muscle growth.

TIP #7. Go for Walks with your Camera

Snow is beautiful. So is ice. Take your digital or old manual camera and go for a walk. You can make art and get exercise at the same time.

TIP #8. Become an Ice Sculptor

Another way to get exercise in the winter (and make art) is to make ice sculptures. It doesn't have to be fancy or professional. It might be a funny looking snowman or Lady Godiva on horseback... it doesn't matter so long as you have fun doing it.



TIP #9. Hire a personal trainer!

Seriously. If you live in Toronto and you have $30 you can spend on a personal trainer once per month, hire one so you can an once per month session which will help keep you focused, exercising and motivated. Think of it like a monthly checkup and in 3 months you will be seeing results from the extra advice and motivation.

TIP #10. Get your Bicycle out of the Snowbank ...

And clean it! No time like the present. Get it cleaned up and ready for Spring so the first warm day you can go cycling ASAP. You can even take it to your local Toronto bicycle mechanic and they will clean it, repair it and store it for the rest of the winter until you are ready for it again.



How to Stop on Ice Skates

You can't really learn how to skate by reading, but the instructions below should help teach you how to stop on ice skates the next time you go skating. Remember, practice makes perfect. While not easy, once you learn how to pull it off you will never forget.

Method #1. Make an upside down V by pointing / angling your skates together. This will cause you to slow gradually to a stop. This is sometimes known as a "V Stop".

Method #2. While skating forward at a medium or slow speed bend your knees a bit like you're going to sit down. Keep your knees about shoulder width apart. Then turn sideways about 60 to 90 degrees from the direction that you were going before and the action of changing direction will cause your skates to drag on the ice and slow you down. While doing this you will also lean away from the direction you were going. This is sometimes referred to as a Side Stop or Snow Plow.

Practice both of these methods of stopping while ice skating and with time you will be able to stop easily.



Once you have mastered both methods 1 and 2 you can attempt to learn more difficult methods of stopping - such as spinning 180 or even 360 degrees - but don't expect to do that if you can barely skate in the first place.

For private ice skating lessons in Toronto you know who to call!

How to Exercise Indoors in the Winter

If you hate going outside in the winter there is a long list of activities you can do for exercise in the winter - and lots of ways to get yourself motivated to exercise in the winter too!

#1. Make your Cardio More Spicy!

Give yourself a challenge and change the tempo of your workout. Try doing things faster, or try adding weights to your cardio, change the speed of repetitions every 5 minutes, and do it while listening to the most awesome motivating music you can think of.

#2. Take Up Weightlifting for Fun!

If you don't have weights at home just pick up random things that are heavy and lift them 20 times so you can get some repetitions going. Try different weights, different ways of lifting them, standing, sitting, laying down on your back.

#3. Clean the house while listening to LOUD music!

Really loud music gets you in the mood to move. Cleaning your house is cardio exercise and you will get a lot done in a hurry as the music will encourage you to move quickly.

#4. Clear a space just for Exercising!

If you have a cluttered home then doing step #3 first will mean you have space to exercise. Set aside that space for doing jumping jacks, yoga, jogging in place, practicing your high kicks or shadow boxing.

#5. Make a Cardio Medley!

I don't mean just music, pick 3 or 4 exercises you love doing and keep doing them one after the other for an hour 5-6 times per week. Having music to listen to will help you stay motivated.

#6. Try something New!

Be creative and look around for new things to try. If you've never done skip rope, now is your chance to try. You don't even need a "skipping rope" when any piece of rope will do.

#7. Download Exercise Videos on YouTube or FrostWire

They're free!

#8. Exercise Games

Thanks to Wii Fit and similar games now on the market there are lots of options out there to get moving if you want something fun to do.

#9. Take up a musical instrument!

Some musical instruments are also exercises because they require a lot of effort to play them. A drum set for example using a lot of upper body motion or the bagpipes uses breathing exercises and abdominal muscles.

#10. Dancing!

Make a playlist and just dance in your own funky way privately. Nobody can know but you, and everyone will be wondering what your fitness secret is!

#11. Take the Stairs!

If you live in a condo or apartment building find excuses to take the stairs. Doubles as weightlifting if you're carrying packages with you.

#12. Sex!

Believe it or not this is arguably the most enjoyable exercise you can do in the winter. Sadly it will never be a sport at the Winter Olympics.

:)

Vitamin D: Essential for Your Winter Diet

Being outside in the sunshine gives you lots of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is unusual because it can be ingested as cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) or ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) and also because your body can synthesize it (from cholesterol) when sun exposure is adequate (hence its nickname, the "sunshine vitamin") thanks to your exposed skin in the warmer months.

However as the days grow longer and the sun shines less, people often develop a Vitamin D deficiency in the winter months. A lack of Vitamin D causes your body to start storing extra fat (thanks to evolution, our bodies naturally start storing more fat during the winter months for survival purposes).

Thus as it gets colder humans start wearing more clothing, covering up more (which means less Vitamin D being synthesized through your exposed skin), and the shortage of Vitamin D results in you packing on the extra pounds.

HOWEVER you can fix this through 4 methods:

#1. Go outside and exercise!

Even if you just go for a walk, it doesn't take much to get your daily Vitamin D needs outside. Running around in a swimsuit in the summer you can get all you need in a mere 5 minutes. Wearing a jacket, hat, scarf, etc in the winter and its going to take 60 to 90 minutes outside in the sun.

#2. Vitamin D supplements. Huzzah for Vitamins!

Pay attention to the dosage on the bottle and how much Vitamin D you eat / absorb anyway. Ideally you want 5,000 to 10,000 IUs per day (depending on your size/weight) or the equivalent in micrograms, which is 125 to 250 micrograms per day. A typical Vitamin D pill might have 25 mcg/1000 IUs or 50 mcg/2000 IUs in it.

1 or 2 pills, plus your regular food (depending on what you are eating) should provide all your daily needs. Don't bother to overdo it.

#3. Regular foods. Track your current Vitamin D consumption.

Some of the foods you are eating might have Vitamin D in it already. eg. 125 ml of 2% Milk has 25% of your daily Vitamin D needs. That is roughly the amount you put on your cereal in the morning. It helps to check the label. Thus if you LOVE milk and drink a litre per day you are getting 100% of your Vitamin D needs just from the milk.

#4. Eat foods that are high in Vitamin D.

If you are low in Vitamin D you can increase your intake of foods high in Vitamin D to compensate.

Now immediately you think fruits and vegetables, and you are partially correct. Some veggies are high in Vitamin D, but there are number of foods that are even higher in Vitamin D.
  • Shiitake & Button Mushrooms (especially dried shiitake mushrooms). Mushrooms in general are rich in Vitamin B and D.
  • Mackerel. A 2 ounce portion of Mackeral provides 51% of your daily Vitamin D needs. Also rich in Omega-3.
  • Sockeye Salmon. Same as Mackerel. A 2 ounce portion provides 51% and is rich in Omega-3.
  • Herring. These fish eat plankton, which is really high in Vitamin D.
  • Sardines. A single small tin of sardines provides 70% of your daily needs.
  • Catfish. You won't see catfish in your average supermarket, but like herring its chockful of Vitamin D.
  • Tuna. 3 ounces of tuna daily provides 50% of your Vitamin D needs.
  • Cod Liver Oil. If you can get past the aroma, 1 tablespoon of the oil provides more than enough Vitamin D for the day.
  • Eggs. 1 small egg provides 10% of your daily needs.

Health Benefits of Vitamin D
  • Helps prevent cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension.
  • Protects and lubricates of your bones, teeth and hair.
  • Regulates muscular cellular growth and healthy cell activity.
  • Reduces storage of fat.
  • Reduces the inflammatory response to cancer, diabetes, obesity, etc.
  • Protects against adult osteoporosis.
  • Reduces risk of breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.
  • Reduces the "Winter Blues", the feeling of depression from lack of sun.
 Tracking your vitamin consumption can be quite helpful in understanding what your body needs.

Ice Skating + Swimming Testimonial

"Thank you again for teaching me ice skating and swimming. I feel much more confident now when skating / swimming alone and I am using the techniques you taught me.

Thank you so much!"

- Janet W.

Skating Lessons Testimonial

"Hey there!

Thank you again for the skating lessons and teaching me how to skate backwards. It was a lot of fun and much easier having someone to show me how to do it.

I look forward to wowing my friends with my new skills.

Thanks!"

- Caprice D.

10 Winter Exercising Tips

#1. Stay Warm

One way to do this is to stick your exercise clothes in the dryer the night before, zap them some heat for 3 minutes in the morning, put them on and then go outside and exercise. You won't notice the cold so much then. Other alternatives are to have a hot shower before you go outside or drink hot tea / hot chocolate before leaving the house. Go to the bathroom before you leave your home too. Your body will be warmer if you aren't wasting energy keeping your urine warm.

#2. Extra Long Warmups

Before you go outside do stretches, jumping jacks, jogging in place to warm yourself up before going outside. The extra 2 minutes of jumping jacks before you go out in the cold air will warm you up significantly.

#3. Interval Training

Doing intense exercises and moderate exercises in varying intervals will both make you hotter while exercising outdoors, but it also burns calories more effectively due to the Afterburn Effect.

#4. Shovel Some Snow

Shoveling snow counts as weightlifting. And having a tidy driveway is just a nice perk.

#5. Wear Layers

Wear 3 or 4 layers and you won't notice the cold so much. Wear 2 pairs of socks, extra thick underwear, etc. Don't forget a neck warmer, arm warmers, a hat or scarves. Think tight-fitting when picking what to wear. Don't ignore silk and high quality fabrics for your base layer. Silk is very breathable and warm.

#6. Mix and Match Cardio and Strength Training

If jogging in the winter doesn't suit you mix it up by adding in chin ups at your local park jungle gym. Find ways to change it up and the extra effort will keep you warm. Climbing stairs also works well.

#7. Try New Winter Sports

Never done ice skating? Road hockey? Winter Archery? Now is a good time to try it.

#8. Reward Yourself

Don't dread exercising outside when you get to reward yourself a simple pleasure afterwards. Listen to your favourite music after you exercise, have an extra long hot shower or bath, enjoy your favourite hot chocolate or coffee, take a nap, listen to an audiobook...

#9. Don't Fear the Cold, Embrace It

Remember that the cold won't kill you. You are only minutes from your home anyway.

#10. Think Positively and Laugh

Laughter warms your spirit and positive thinking doesn't hurt either.

12 fun winter activities for 2012

Love to go outside and exercise in the winter? Here is 12 activities that you (and friends) could do...

#1. Have a snowball fight. Easy!

#2. Build a snowfort.

#3. Build snow people.

#4. Carve ice sculptures.

#5. Ice Skating.

#6. Skiing (downhill or cross country).

#7. Road Hockey.

#8. Snowboarding.

#9. Wrestle in a snow drift!

#10. Have swordfights in the deep snow with a friend!

#11. Learn how to use snowshoes.

#12. Invent a new sport! (ie. Snowball bowling!)
Looking to sign up for archery lessons, boxing lessons, swimming lessons, ice skating lessons or personal training sessions? Start by emailing cardiotrek@gmail.com and lets talk fitness!

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