What To Do In Winter? Get Fit! (pt1)
There are lots of things that gardeners do in the winter months, but one that rarely gets mentioned is getting fit. In this three-part series I explain how I stay in shape during the winter months.
There are lots of things that gardeners do in the winter. Some plan their gardens. Some people organize their sheds/tools/etc. Some people start transplants for a super early head start in spring. Some order seeds. Personally - I take a break from gardening. I figure that the garden is shut down - so maybe I should do the same, and besides - there are so many other things to do in the winter!
So many people view the winter months as cold, dark and depressing. For me, it is a time to get outside and do all the things that can only be done in the winter, such as snowshoeing, getting out in the woods, ice fishing, skiing, and skating. As a result, every weekend I hope for good weather so I can get out and do something, and if the weather is bad, I have snow shoveling to do - but that goes hand in hand with guilt-free hot chocolate and baked goods to be enjoyed indoors, while relaxing on the couch, watching a movie while the storm rages outdoors.
Stay Strong!
In addition to all of that outdoors stuff, I also try really hard to stick to a regular exercise regimen that incorporates aspects of improving strength, balance, flexibility and range of motion. I do this because it’s good for my health, but also because it allows me to continue to be able to do all this things mentioned above as I move into later life, and it really helps to maintain all of the physical capabilities that are needed for maintaining a large garden.
I started an exercise regimen because at some point in my late forties, I began to find it hard to adjust to the physical demands of gardening each year in early spring. While I was always active during the winter, I was not doing any of the stuff I typically do in my garden (digging, lifting, squatting, crouching, etc.), so I would experience many aches and pains in April and May as I got back into gardening activities. I was also experiencing various types of chronic neck, back, hip and knee pain all the time.
After doing a little research I found out that this can be totally normal for people in their late 40s, and it can get worse with age (I’m 52 now). Thankfully, the cure is simple - it’s just regular exercise with some resistance training.
Since I need more than strength to do all the things I enjoy, I have found ways to work balance, flexibility and range of motion into my exercise routine. It’s a bit of a chore - but it only takes 20 - 25 minutes a day, and I only do it four days a week - and if anything gets in the way of that schedule, I just make it up on one of the other days of the week - or just skip it altogether and resume my schedule the next week.
I have chosen to share this with my readers for two reasons: (1) it will make a huge difference for anyone aged 50+; and (2) I wish I had been doing it all along. There are so many benefits to be gained from regular resistance training. I used to lift weights in my 20s and early 30s (mostly to look good) - but then stopped after I got married. At some point in my 40s I started having all kinds of back and neck problems - and they all got sorted out when I started on a regular exercise regimen.
For the sake of an example, I thought I would share my regimen. I am not saying that this is what others should do. Rather - the point is to give an example of a simple regimen that is built around the maintenance and improvement of strength, balance, flexibility and range of motion - in hope that others might be inspired to try something similar that works for them.
The regimen
I use a really simple routine that I call “Hard Day / Easy day”. On Monday I do a very intense workout where I do everything to failure (hard day), then on Tuesday I focus more on balance, and range of motion (easy day). On Wednesday I do another hard day, and on Thursday I do another easy day. On all four days I do compound exercises1 and exercises that work core muscles2. I also try to do movements that mimic the things I will be doing in the garden (like squatting and lifting), to train my body to be good at those things. That’s a basic outline of my regimen - now let’s go into the details.
Warmups
Every workout starts with a simple warmup. These days I like doing the “squat and reach” 20 times (8th exercise on this page). Sometimes I get bored of it and do something else. There’s lots of great warmup exercises, and it’s important to mix things up to challenge your muscles and not get bored. Once I’m done the squat and reach repetitions, I do ten “arm circles” in both directions, then some simple “neck stretches”, then I hold the “stand touch toe stretch” for a 20 count. All of these stretches involve controlled breathing, where I am timing movements with inhaling completely, and exhaling completely. For instance - with the squat and reach, I exhale on the way down, and inhale on the way up. The warmup is important. Some days - if I am very busy, the warmup is all I do, and even that helps to get limbered up and start the day right. I also use the warmup to bargain with myself - such that I’ll say - “OK Greg - just do the warmup, and if you don’t want to do any more, you don’t have to”. Usually, by the time I’m done the warmup, I suddenly feel motivated to do the workout I did not feel like doing 5 minutes prior. The human mind is a strange thing…
Stay tuned for next week when I walk though the hard day / easy day exercises…
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Did you know I also have an outdoors channel? Here a video where I talk about making fires:
Movements that work multiple muscle groups and joints at the same time.
Muscles in the midsection of your body that stabilize the spine, pelvis, and shoulders.