OK. The easy answer here is to simply tell you to bundle up, tough it out, get outside and do what you always do. Which is a great suggestion. However, here's a few ways to kick it up a notch:
- Find some hills or (even a mountain) and walk or jog up as fast as you can. Stop every 10 minutes to take some pictures of the beautiful snow. Or...drag your sled along and enjoy the ride back down!
- Revive your playlist. Nothing gets a person going more than a good ol' beat. Here's a great top 50 song list from 2011.
- Try something new. Your body has to work harder to try something it has never done. Find a new class, pull out that dusty workout video, find some great short workouts on YouTube, or perhaps test out some of your kids stuff in the garage!
- Use big movements that combine upper and lower body: When you perform and activity with both your upper and your lower body, one that we call "complex" it increases the demand on both your muscular and cardiovascular system. Things like a squat to an overhead press or a Lunge with a Bicep curl are great choice.
- Insert Power or Plyometric exercises into your circuit: Moving with high speed and force- especially when you have to get the weight of your body off the ground, requires a ton of energy and w ill get your heart pumping and your muscles burning! We love squat jumps, lump jumps, and bounding up the stairs!
- Turn up the sex appeal. This one may be a little out there for some of you- but rather than thinking of your workout as a way to stay slim, think of it as a way to help you feel more sexy. Dance a little, shake that booty, sing in the mirror, belly dance- heck...try a little pole dancing. You aren't on candid camera, so let it loose!
Most importantly , get your body up and do it. It's easy to use a snow day as an excuse- but why not reframe the cold temps as the perfect reason to turn up the heat on your exercise routine!