Staying Active During the Winter Season

January 2017

The winter weather has arrived and will be here for the next few months. The severe drop in temperature , snow, icy rain, and less daylight hours each day can easily derail your workout plans if you let it. However, with some planning you can remain physically active throughout this cold season.

Make plans to regularly attend my Cardiodance and Strength Training class. The classes given locally on Monday and Friday eves, gives you the opportunity to get out of your house/apartment, meet up with others and have fun. The music I use is upbeat, contagious, and makes you want to dance. The routines keep your feet moving and emphasize the hips and midsection which strengthens your core. The class will boost your mood, and help relieve stress while burning calories. You will improve your flexibility as well.

The strength portion of the class is just as important. Did you know that after puberty both men and women lose about one percent of bone and muscle each year? Troy Tuttle, MS an exercise physiologist advises, “One of the best ways to stop, prevent, and even reverse bone and muscle loss is to add strength training to your workouts.” Building strength through exercise protects bone health, builds muscle mass, and plays a role in disease prevention. I include strength training exercises in the latter portion of each class.

By strengthening the body through exercise, you will find it easier to perform your activities of daily living such as opening jars, carrying groceries or laundry, climbing stairs, walking long distances or uphill, keeping up with a small child, assisting an elderly parent, or shoveling snow. As we age, we want to perform activities such as exercise that will assist us in remaining self-sufficient as long as possible.

If you’ve never taken group exercise class before, no worries. The class format is designed so that the beginner to the experienced will be able to participate and complete the workout. So put down the remote, get off the couch, change into your exercise gear, and come join us! See the flyer attached for the date, time, and location of the Cardiodance and Strength Training class. We look forward to seeing you there 😃🎉.

Cheryl Mitchell
Certified Group Fitness Instructor

Resource:
Article entitled “7 Reasons to add Strength Training to Your Workout Routine” by Chris Iliades, M.D. Posted in “Everday Health”