5 Tips To Get Active This Winter

There is no denying but winter will soon be upon us. And what does that mean to the active and health buff people out there? It will be more challenging to pound the road for a quick run outdoors or pull yourself up from bed from that nice slumber.

Getting fit is a must to live a healthy life. Winter time is not as friendly as the other seasons when it comes to exercising. Regardless, people must stay fit what ever the season may be. So, how do you get active this winter without having frostbites?

Here are some tips you can follow to help you pump that adrenalin even if you are stuck indoors especially at the coldest time of winter:


Clean the house

This can be done regardless of season and perhaps, you will still burn more calories when you do it during the colder climate because your body will try to expel those calories by warming up your body.  All those lifting, sweeping, dusting, and taking out of garbage stash can move a lot of muscles and burn fats.


Shovel snow on your driveway (and even your elderly neighbours)

Now this will be a surefire way to burn those flabs because of the torso bending and arm muscle movements you will do. Do not just shovel your driveway but also do a good favour to your elderly neighbours, if you have some.  It will be twice as much effort on your part which will burn more calories too. Many shovelled driveways = many calories burned!


Go skating, sledding, have snow fights

Not only are they fun to do during winter, they also pose many muscle movements that will help churn those calories out.

I have taken this info from sparkpeople.com to show you how sledding can burn lots of calories. This is just an example.

(Photo credit: sparkpeople.com)

Exercise at home

Yes, even if you are stuck at home, watching TV or just reading a good novel, you can interject an exercise routine at home. If you cannot go to the gym, let the gym come to you. And how, buy small gym equipments even before the cold winter comes. Your purchase does not have to be very expensive. You can buy a simple stepper, small barbels, jumping rope, or even the hula hoop! Try to equip yourself with simple gym equipments. A treadmill can prove to be wise purchase especially if you can buy one that you can store under your bed or fold later on.

(Photo credit: dreamstine.com)

Walk in the mall

If there's not much space to walk around your home, go to the nearby mall and walk inside the heated premises. That way, you get your dose of retail therapy even when you're just window shopping. Walking inside the mall can increase your heart rate and help in the burning of fats in the process. Dress warmly and appropriately for the activity because brisk walking can still make your perspire.

Half An Hour Run

I ran for half an hour today. I didn't want to go more than that since my knees would give up. I still have plenty of weight to lose so I am taking it slowly but surely.

I put the treadmill on level 2 incline to give my run more oomph and substance. I wore an elastic band around my waist to encourage sweating specially on my waist area which is my main problem. After the half an hour run, I ate a meatloaf sandwich and downed 2 full glasses of water to re-hydrate myself.

A lot of people can do an hour stretch of running but I cannot subject myself to that. I have read in the web that if you run right away without building your stamina, you will only get injuries. Also, I have checked the web for the best weight loss supplements available in the market to aid my weight loss; apart from drinking green tea. I am also taking omega 3 fatty acid as a supplement to help my joints and heart.

I still have a long way to go. Like I always tell everybody, I don't mind the slow, steady pace as long as I get to my goal the healthy and proper way.

Fitness Equipment

The residential building where I live has a small gym at the lobby. It is free for all the tenants of the building. I go there at least twice a week to run on the treadmill and use the stepper for my cardio routine. There are other fitness equipment there which I am not familiar. I need more Information on Exercise Equipment. So, I just stick to the common ones that I know, like the stationary bike, Tunturi treadmill and rowing machine.

I have no plans of bulking up so I do not use the dumbbells and other weight-lifting machine in the gym. The other machine look so complex and mind boggling so I leave those fitness equipment to the experts to use.

The mini-gym in our building pales in comparison to the other gyms I have been to so far. I have gone to Fitness First and Body and Soul here in Dubai. I was just a member's guest in Fitness First but I was so impressed with their equipment. They were all high-tech and serious-looking like they really meant business! Then in Body and Soul, I was a gym member for 2 years. Their fitness equipment were more simple. They also had Tunturi elliptical machine, rowing machine, body-building machine and steppers. However, their fitness equipment were more easy to operate.

I am thankful though that at least, our building provides healthy alternative to busy people's lifestyle by allocating a small gym.

Fitness First!

Oh no, not the famous fitness club. I am referring to my goal this year to give priority to fitness and healthy lifestyle.

I am lucky enough to now spend a fortune by joining a fitness club because we have a gym in our residential building. The fitness equipment may not be as fabulous as the ones you will find in Fitness First or other top rate fitness gyms and health clubs here in Dubai. They are just fine if you are aiming to do regular and light exercise like running on the treadmill, lifting dumb bells or flexing and toning your muscles.

How to Slim a Little (or a lot) before the Holidays

Holidays spell gift-giving and opening of presents, being with family and dear friends, having parties and merriment. Holidays also bring about expanding waistlines because of the nice, sumptuous meals we are all going to have.

That can be avoided if we are determined to focus all our energies (rather than utilize it by drinking and eating unwittingly) in eating the proper food and drinking the necessary drinks over the holidays.

• First, let's be realistic with our goals. Oftentimes, when we set out goals like, "I want to lose 20 pounds by 24 December 2008" and it's already December 1st tomorrow, we are just making it hard on ourselves. Let's face it, unless you have a properly-functioning metabolism (then that means you don't need to lose weight because you are already burning calories) like some very genetically-blessed people then you can say, "yes, I will lose that 20 kilos in 3 weeks!" Much as I want to salute the person who will say that for the bravado and confidence, our bodies cannot lose weight as fast as we want it to because that will be detrimental to our own health. Try putting an achievable number of pounds to lose as a goal per week, like a pound or 2 for a week. Now that's being realistic.
• Second, I believe on not putting myself up on any hunger-strike. Our body has it's own defense mechanism. If we starve it, it will save our fats for heat and that won't help our purpose of slimming down. Our bodies should be fueled like any other machine. A car won't run without gas and so is our body. Eat!
• Take few small portions of meals in a day. That should keep your blood sugar lever on an even keel.
• I have been bad on this one for the past few weeks. I normally don't allow myself to grab a piece of chips but lately I have been gorging chips and drinking sodas like I was a fish in a soda tank! Very bad! So, skip the bad stuff and nibble on healthy food like baby carrots (this is my fave munchies), cucumber slices (I normally dip this in vinegar), dried apricots or prunes, green and red apples and some seedless grapes.
• Skip the dressings, gravies and butter! When you are tempted to sprinkle salt, just ask for the other condiment. "Pass the pepper please."
• Exercise at least 4 times in a week or whatever will suit your lifestyle. I run on the treadmill 4 times in a week for 20 mins. I also insert a 2-3 minutes of sprint to pump up my cardio. I have not tried strength training yet as I figure out how to maximize my running routine.
• Take a walk. Use the stairs. Walk your dog. Keep moving! Be active! Do something. Even gardening can burn some of your calories.
• Sleep at least 8 hours daily. If you are sleep-deprived at night, try having power naps then exercise.
• Drink plenty of water.

Sooner or later, you'll see yourself slimmer (and healthier) than ever! Happy Holidays and easy on those minced pies and Yule logs, OK?