outdoor fitness

by Deb Lowther

There is a popular saying among cyclist and runners: “May the wind always be at your back.”

It is our hope as we strap on our bike helmet and tie up those running shoes that the weather will be kind to us. Of course, the wind can’t always be at your back, unless you plan to ride endlessly in one direction, eventually you have to turn around and face the wind.

My Friend in Fitness and I are now in week five of our Winter Workout and we can tell you, the wind has NOT always been at our backs! We believe we have met our outdoor fitness challenge and faced it, head down, head first and directly into the wind!

Each week we ride in the trails for some very good reasons; it is beautiful in there no matter what the season, it makes the ride go by so fast as there is so much to look at, and it shelters us from wind, rain and even sun in hot weather. However, there is a good 15 minute bike ride we must endure to get to the trails we love. These 15 minutes are usually the hardest on the way home with the winds usually working against our tired legs. Exercising outside in winter doesn’t come without challenges!

On week three, we set out for our ride. I had checked the weather forecast and the 35km/h winds reported were not encouraging but we were quite used to 25km/h winds on this stretch of road so how bad could 35km be? Besides the winds were against us on the way home usually, we would worry about it then.

Well, Mother Nature had a test for us it seems! That was some wind. And it was against us for the first 15 minutes of the ride TO the trails this time. We were in for a challenge right out of the driveway!

But you know what? We did it. It took us a little longer, we needed a couple of breaks, our hands were freezing, our noses running but, we made it to the trails. We had a beautiful wind free ride in the forest and when it was time to ride home, we had a little riding party! Those same winds that tested our determination on the way to the trails, easily pushed us home as we congratulated ourselves on a ride well done!

We take each week as it comes, and so far the weather has been very kind to us. It is December now and we have yet to see real snow. We have yet to face temperatures below -2. We have had only one rainy day and because it rained nonstop for 36 hours, there was no way we could safely ride our bikes outside that day. We made the decision to go to my gym and spent 60 minutes on three different cardio machines to make sure we kept our heart rates up and fulfilled our goal to work out twice a week together.

So five weeks in to our Winter Workout we are feeling fortunate the snow has not yet fallen, and feeling confident that together we can handle anything the weather may have in store for us!

Stay tuned for the next part in our Series of Winter Workouts!

Catch up on our first part, working out with friends!

Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails! She blogs about Raising Healthy Kids and ensures her own have fun while eating healthy & staying active. You can visit her websites to learn more Iron-kids.com and AdultGummies.com

by Deb Lowther

Are you a lone rider or a groupie when it comes to working out? Do you go to the gym regardless if Betty Sue can make it or do you use her “schedule conflict” to cancel your own workout?

I have been active since I was about 10 years old. It started with my parents and the ParticipACTION program that had us doing sit ups, chin ups and skipping as a family in our basement. We would accumulate enough points for a badge and if we beat the other team (me and my Mom against my Dad and brother), the winner would get ice cream at the end of the month! Well, everyone got the ice cream, but the non-winners had to pay!

We went for small runs as a family, longer bike rides and weekend hikes. I watched my parents go to the gym and when I got old enough, I went to aerobics classes with my mom for years. I was lucky to be raised in an active family, which helped to instill lifelong habits, the knowledge that it is important and the desire to be fit.

As I started running on my own and got my own gym membership, I cannot count the number of friends who have said “I’ll work out with you”. They did. Once. Maybe twice. Never for very long. I became a lone rider.

After three kids, it became harder to find time to get out so I would squeeze in a run at any opportunity, making it difficult to plan runs with friends. I did join two running groups and have a standing invitation for local Saturday morning runs and longer Sunday morning trail runs. Sometimes I join them, but often I choose to run during the week when my kids are in school so weekends can be family time. Again opting for the lone rider!

A couple weeks ago I mentioned to a casual friend that I was riding my bike to some trails and going for a 10km run and then riding home. She was intrigued as she had recently committed to getting back in shape. She physically couldn’t do the run portion (yet!) but would meet me for the ride.

Working out with friends is better and exercising with a friend helps to lose more weight? It really is true and studies have been done that prove it.

So far, we have gone out for three rides together. We are working up to the running part but for now we are having too much fun on our bikes. We are gone for an hour and a half and battle some fierce winds, cold temperatures, challenging trails and share some good belly laughs!

So follow our journey as we both commit to our Outdoor Fitness/Winter Workout twice a week – outside. . . all winter! Wind, snow or rain! Biking as long as the trails allow, then switching to running or maybe hot tea drinking?

See if these two lone riders can take it outside and motivate each other to make it through the harsh winter and be Friends in Fitness!

Would you work out more if you had a friend to join you?

Outdoor Fitness: Wind At Your Back

by Deb Lowther

Outdoor Fitness: Working Out With Friends

by Deb Lowther