Because of the sub zero temperatures and abundance of snow, I’ve been confined to workouts inside the house for eight months.
Working out every day, it can be difficult to keep the sessions fresh, interesting and beneficial.
I’ve bought some equipment for the sake of a home gym. I have a yoga mat for doing crunches, stretching, push-ups, squats and lunges. I use hand weights of various sizes to work the muscles in my arms, shoulders and back. My jump rope is especially helpful for burning a tremendous amount of calories in a short time. I run on the treadmill just about everyday. It’s not unusual for me to run eight to ten miles. I listen to music and have my water bottle handy. I can quit whenever I want. However, running on a track gets very tedious. I was extremely anxious for the snow to melt and the weather to warm up. Just yesterday, the sun came out and the temperature climbed up to 48 degrees. The pavement appeared clear, and I decided it was the perfect morning to run outside. I laced up my sneakers, zipped up a light jacket and went through a quick warmup before heading out. It felt great to breathe fresh air and feel the sun on my skin. However, running on natural terrain is very different from the treadmill. I needed to watch out for potholes and the pavement was extremely uneven. Half of my run had me heading uphill, and I had no access to water. The cold air made it somewhat difficult to breathe deep. I tired out much more quickly than I expected. By the final mile of the run, I was thirsty, sweating and tempted to slow to a walk.