STREAKING through Winter and Beyond
I’d like to invite you to go streaking with me this Winter.
No, not running naked and blackout drunk down a city street, but more of a ‘fitness’ streak. Really, it’s a movement streak (BMs don’t count!) that has the potential to be a pretty awesome, fitness-building streak at a time of year when fitness usually declines significantly.
Here it is:
Move with purpose for at least 10 minutes each and every day.
That’s it. Simple, flexible, consistent. You can pick how you move each day, so long as you move your body for at least 10 minutes with purpose.
The goal is simply to move during a time when most of us are working dark to dark, and the weather - well - we aren’t on a tropical beach, now are we???
So, here’s my plan, and maybe this’ll spark some ideas for you:
My Go-To Daily 10 | Get on our home stationary bike for 10 minutes of zone 2 spinning (heart rate of 125-140 BPM), lift 20-lb. dumbbells to work my biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, and chest, and do some bodyweight stuff for my core (plank-dogs and bridges) - this whole thing takes less than 15 minutes for one circuit at 10 minutes on the bike and 12 reps of lifts.
Planned Days Outside | These will include skiing at Perfect North, hiking (when time and conditions are favorable - sun & clouds, snowscapes, icescapes), and running a few local races (Topo Winter Trail Series).
Planned Days Inside | Treadmill days at Planet Fitness, a few yoga classes, and maybe a couple days at the climbing gym for fun with LaFonda and her Cougar Climbers.
So, those are the main ideas for my streak through the winter season, and if you feel so inclined, put together a streak of your own. You’ll come out of Winter ready to hike and generally be in a better mood between now and Spring.
Oh, and who knows, maybe that 10 minutes a day turns into a more robust 20 or 30 or 60 minutes a day that you can carry through a lifetime…the whole reason I put this together is exactly for this reason - a daily, lifelong commitment to movement.
AND, if you think it’s too late to get moving, checkout Mike Fremont below who’s still moving 30 minutes everyday at the age of 102. BTW, my return to hiking has deep roots that extend to this guy. That’s a story for another time.