What's your exercise plan in colder months?

Hey we pay big bucks for the bragging rights. You guys can get edible tomatoes and apples for under $1/lb we pay $3+/lb for lousy tomatoes. Just today I spent $15 shipping on $35 Halloween Costume (first bought costume in I don't know how long), on site with a zillion banner ads offering free shipping.*

*Free shipping offer good in the lower 48 states, doesn't apply to Alaska or Hawaii...
 
We had some nice weather in the PNW last weekend so I got to do a 30 mile bike ride. I too prefer outdoor exercise, but I suspect that is in part because non-rainy outdoor time is so precious here.

For colder months I hit the gym and do weight training and a variety of aerobics (elliptical, recumbant bike, circuit training, etc). This provides a built-in variety to the yearly routine -- outdoor activities for late spring/summer/early fall, and then gym work for late fall/winter/early spring.

I do like going to the gym because over the years we have formed social connections there and enjoy seeing some of the same folks who have been there for years as well. Oh, and we use a community gym -- that way we work out with the people who are there because they care about their health, this place doesn't get the 'posers' at least not for long.

--Linney
 
Want2retire said:
Those look great! I'm going to get some in a couple of years when I ER to Missouri and try them out. Thanks! :D
Click to expand...
You seem really concerned about snow in Missouri, aren't you? Do they really get that much? Springfield, right? Is it hilly? That's the biggest problem in snow. Where it's flat and straight, you just have to drive slower so you can stop where you need to. It's a bit tougher to control on hills.

I'd guess that when they do get snow it melts pretty quickly, so you just have to either keep the pantry stocked in the winter or make a grocery run before a storm hits and just not go out while it's on the roads. But I wouldn't buy too much snow gear until you see if you really need it.
 
RunningBum said:
You seem really concerned about snow in Missouri, aren't you? Do they really get that much? Springfield, right? Is it hilly? That's the biggest problem in snow. Where it's flat and straight, you just have to drive slower so you can stop where you need to. It's a bit tougher to control on hills.

I'd guess that when they do get snow it melts pretty quickly, so you just have to either keep the pantry stocked in the winter or make a grocery run before a storm hits and just not go out while it's on the roads. But I wouldn't buy too much snow gear until you see if you really need it.
Click to expand...

Well, I haven't really been in snow much at all in my adult life and yet I am planning to retire to snow country. I would not decribe my attitude as "concerned", so much as "preparing" and "learning". Maybe I am over-preparing? I don't have any idea - - my goal is to be sensible. The stunning girl in my avatar is not me - - in reality, I am 59, nearsighted, and kind of klutzy, and need to be careful to not fall in the snow.

Yes, it's in the Ozarks so it is hilly. They don't get that much snow compared with Buffalo, but they do get that much snow compared with New Orleans! :) I am most definitely planning to keep a well stocked pantry, and to get a well insulated house with a fireplace and an attached garage. I plan to try not to drive during snow, at least during my first few years there, since I do not yet know how to drive (or walk) in the snow safely. I agree - - I have not been planning to buy any snow gear until I get there (including the Yaktrax, see above post). Right now, I am trying to become aware of what is available so that I can see a need, and know what to buy for it, once I am there.

Living in snow is just instinctive to people who have lived in snow. I think they don't really realize how much knowledge they have about it. There's a lot to learn. I have all sorts of things to learn about. Like, if you have a house with a basement, do you have to heat the basement to not get frozen pipes? Or, if you have a car, are snow tires (and changing your tires twice a year) the best solution? I suspect a lot of this varies with location so I will just have to play it by ear when I get there.
 
Last edited:
You need all weather tires ,front wheel drive ,a snow blower ,boots ,warm clothes and a bag of sand or kitty litter to carry in the trunk of your car with a snow shovel .
 
Moemg said:
You need all weather tires ,front wheel drive ,a snow blower ,boots ,warm clothes and a bag of sand or kitty litter to carry in the trunk of your car with a snow shovel .
Click to expand...

OK... Thanks! :p Never thought about front wheel drive, or all weather tires. See? I'm learning (slowly but I'll get there).
 
Just making sure you weren't over stressing about it. Sounds like you just want to prepare, and that never hurts. It'll be fun!

Some quick answers...keep the thermostat at least at 55, maybe higher depending on the house; you can wrap pipes with pipe insulation, and leave water dripping slowly on hard freeze nights. Tires--an all-season tire like Goodyear TripleTreds should be fine for that area. I keep a small shovel, cat litter (for traction), and a blanket, cap, warm gloves, etc in my car in winter in case I get stuck, so I won't freeze if I try to dig myself out, or have to stay overnight in the car (latter has never happened). Practice driving in an empty parking lot if you get a chance and learn how to turn in the direction of a skid and how long it takes to stop, and how the antilock brakes will feel.
 
Walk outside much of the year but winter is back to the YMCA treadmills rowing machines, nautilus and some raquetball with my son.
 
RunningBum said:
Just making sure you weren't over stressing about it. Sounds like you just want to prepare, and that never hurts. It'll be fun!

Some quick answers...keep the thermostat at least at 55, maybe higher depending on the house; you can wrap pipes with pipe insulation, and leave water dripping slowly on hard freeze nights. Tires--an all-season tire like Goodyear TripleTreds should be fine for that area. I keep a small shovel, cat litter (for traction), and a blanket, cap, warm gloves, etc in my car in winter in case I get stuck, so I won't freeze if I try to dig myself out, or have to stay overnight in the car (latter has never happened). Practice driving in an empty parking lot if you get a chance and learn how to turn in the direction of a skid and how long it takes to stop, and how the antilock brakes will feel.
Click to expand...

Interesting! Great - - if I can keep the basement at least somewhat cool and wrap the pipes, and let the water drip, then a house with a basement wouldn't necessarily be too much more expensive to heat. These are good things to know. Thanks! I agree that it will be fun (for me). To me, it is a huge adventure. :)

I am also planning to live in town, as opposed to neighboring rural areas, and they do plow the major streets. I'll put all that stuff in the trunk of my car, and I probably wouldn't venture very far from home when weather is bad.
 
Last edited:
Want2Retire --
Don't fret too much about the winter "experience." Except in rare instances -- I'm talking a major, major snowstorm -- you'll be able to get out and about within hours of most snow falls. When I was buying my last car (a rear drive model) I expressed my concern about how it might handle in the snow. The salesman asked me how many days a year did I think we had BAD weather(i.e., bad enough to stop me from driving unless urgent); I thought about it and decided probably 8 to 10 days would fit the bill. I ended up buying the car and haven't had any significant issues driving in the snow, rain, whatever.

And, yes, a basement can be a wonderful thing...as long as it doesn't leak -- but your pre-purchase inspection should reveal that problem if it exists.
 
Want2retire said:
Interesting! Great - - if I can keep the basement at least somewhat cool and wrap the pipes, and let the water drip, then a house with a basement wouldn't necessarily be too much more expensive to heat. .........
Click to expand...

Basements, being set into the ground, don't need extra heat unless you want to use it for some living activity. In fact, a major savings is to be had in sealing all the heat ducts so they don't leak heat into unheated areas like the basement. And in the heat of the summer, it is cool down there.
 
humidity levels are starting to drop. just as soon as "winter" sets in i'm gonna start mountain biking along our florida trails again. love it but summers are just too hot for me. and i'll be able to road bike during the daylight hours instead of late at night. i've got a great light set up for night rides but i go faster when i can see farther.

as for the 10 days between now and next spring when it might dip below 50 degrees, i've got the indoor pool at the gym. i'm set.

edit to add some florida biking trails:

Biking the Lake Okeechobee Trail, Okeechobee, Florida

Everglades National Park: Shark Valley Trails

GORP - Biking Florida - From the Panhandle to the Keys

Club Scrub - Jonathan Dickinson State Park Bike Trails

Florida Trail Reviews at MTBR.com
 
Last edited:
In the winter, I mall walk and do the exercise bike at home.

Local parks here have indoor aquatic centers and offer hour long water aerobics. I can't imagine what a water aerobics class for seniors would be like. Can anyone explain? I'm "only" 53, so I would take the high energy class. When I was young, I would see some seniors exercise in the water and would unkindly refer to it as the baby hippo water ballet waltz---and now years later, here I am contemplating the exercise I ridiculed! Is it possible to get a good workout and not just splash in the water?
 
Water aerobics can be very strenuous...without the strain on your joints. Depends on what exercises you do. Jogging in place in the pool, for example, is a great workout, as are lunges.
 
travelover said:
I'm in Michigan and I walk regularly in the ice and snow (when I'm not mall walking). When it gets icy I use Yak Trax on my boots. They really help.

Yaktrax Walker Shoe Traction
Click to expand...

Ditto. Put on my jacket, boots, and, unless it's icy, go hiking on the snowy trails with my dog who gets very excited about winter weather. But I also have a gym membership and use it more during winter.
 
Want2retire said:
Interesting! Great - - if I can keep the basement at least somewhat cool and wrap the pipes, and let the water drip, then a house with a basement wouldn't necessarily be too much more expensive to heat. These are good things to know. Thanks! I agree that it will be fun (for me). To me, it is a huge adventure. :)

I am also planning to live in town, as opposed to neighboring rural areas, and they do plow the major streets. I'll put all that stuff in the trunk of my car, and I probably wouldn't venture very far from home when weather is bad.
Click to expand...

In Missouri, your biggest winter challenge will be ICE. There are some nasty ice storms in that part of the country. Been there!
 
Oldbabe said:
In Missouri, your biggest winter challenge will be ICE. There are some nasty ice storms in that part of the country. Been there!
Click to expand...

That's when having a big, well stocked pantry, a woodburning fireplace, and YakTrax on my shoes if I venture outside at all, will really help! At least, that is what I am hoping. I am sure that I have a lot to learn.
 
Bend over to fill multiple cat dishes. Haul in as many loads of wood as the day and evening will require. 2xweek physical therapy for last month's shoulder surgery. Mowing up leaves from the rentals, pruning. Taking abuse from the physical therapist for doing same. Gym maybe 4xweek for treadmill and crunches and stretching.
 
This is what I don't like about living in a climate that gets snow/ice in the winter. Today the temp was 78 -- perfect blue sky -- DH and I spent most of the afternoon cleaning up flower beds, putting down extra mulch, trimming tree branches. So enjoyable just being outside, watching airplane contrails in the sky, eating dinner on the deck....life is good.

Now, fast forward maybe 90 days -- if typical weather patterns hold, the sky, streets, lawns, trees will all be an unappealing grey color, heavy cloud cover, damp air, ugh!

I know, appreciate what you got when you got it, 'cause soon it will be gone!
 
i hate exercising, BUT for about 2-3 months total per year, i get 'the bug'....i eat well, work out cardio AND weights etc. This tapers of quickly and morphs into eating bad food "because I'll burn it off", the weights only, then nothing


Then once I get to a weight that grosses me out, I begin again....
 
clifp said:
I put a rash guard on because Hawaii water drops below 80 in the winter...>:D
Click to expand...

North Carolina coast requires a drysuit but I get to burn all those extra calories just staying warm. Also plenty of great weather for running-riding.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

lem1955
The Mental Part of Weight Loss
Replies
24
Views
2K
Teacher Terry
Teacher Terry
K
6 month FIRE anniversary, interesting times
2
Replies
41
Views
8K
RetMD21
R
Z
Help Me Find a Place That Suits Us Please
2 3 4
Replies
92
Views
11K
BellBarbara
B

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom