“I have faced the fact that gardening season is over and it is time to make my winter commitment for cardio. I started back on my elliptical on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the winter season. I hate the elliptical but I drag out of bed early and do it anyway because I know that at the end of the holiday season I will feel better about myself. I also find that by putting it in writing to you it sure makes it harder to skip when I have a day when I just don't feel like doing it. So, here's to those cold winter morning when I just want to stay under the covers and decide to do something good for myself instead.”
ooh! Who is up for a winter commitment for cardio? I am! In fact, I need it. Winter is tough for me because I like it hot outside, not cold. I have the right pants and coat and gloves and hat to work out outside, but I would still rather throw on a t-shirt and shorts and go walk like that. However, that does not mean I can use cold weather as an excuse not to do it.
I have to do it.
Cardio keeps me mentally healthy. I really feel my energy drag and my emotions darken when I go without it. Knowing that helps me find the motivation I need on days I don’t feel like exercising, because I always feel better about myself once I’ve done it.
Cardio keeps my body moving. All of us over 40 know about the aches and pains. (I know my clients 60+ are saying honey you don’t know nothing yet.) I understand, but I also know that when I keep exercising consistently, I feel better. My muscles, my joints, everything seems less stiff and painful when I am moving regularly.
Cardio keeps my calorie burning machine humming. This is important in the food season, or as one of my clients calls it, Halloween Navidad! We go from Halloween candy to Thanksgiving pies to Christmas parties to New Year’s ham. Better keep moving and burn those extra calories so they are not around making us feel like crap about ourselves on January 2nd.
Cardio keeps our heart and lungs conditioned. We may be very active in the warmer months, but when winter hits we slow down. This can cause us to lose our cardiovascular fitness, which is a key component of overall health and wellbeing. We want that heart rate in the zone but that’s impossible from the couch. Get that heart rate monitor out and get moving.
Cardio burns fat. Yes, directly. Right off your ___ (insert trouble area here).
I personally like the challenge from November 1 – February 28. That gets me through all the holidays and the heart of the winter, right to my birthday and a few weeks before the official start of spring. That’s 120 days of consistency. How far, how fast, how often is totally up to you. If you are already doing cardio regularly, awesome! Keep going or step it up a notch. But if you aren’t, here’s a great opportunity to join others, set your goal, and do it.
Here’s what I know. If I tell myself I will do two extra days of cardio from November 1 – February 28, that’s one thing. I might do it, but I don’t have a lot of accountability to help me when it gets tough. But if I tell YOU that I will do two extra days of cardio for the next 120 days, there’s the empowerment. That’s how I plug in to the power of community. I know that telling you will be the extra push I need to do it, on days when I feel like it and on days when I don’t.
And I need to do it to feel good about myself this winter. Do you? If so, send me your goal. I will write up everyone’s goals in next week’s newsletter and we will share in this empowerment together. Taking good care of ourselves is important, but it’s hard. Let’s harness the superpower of this excellent community and give each other the encouragement and support we all need to take the next step. We are so worth it.