Now that winter is here and the days are shorter we all need to stay active. Some of us take too much time away from working out and some of us don’t take enough time. It is a fine balance between the two. So I’ve compiled a list of things that can be done for both schools of thought that will give the underachievers something to do and the overachievers something that will make them feel accomplished.

Lift weights. Weights are a great way to stay active during the winter hours, they give your body a new resistance and can help you develop some of the muscle groups that may have been neglected otherwise. Light weights with moderate to high repetition will be the most beneficial for most of us as it is fairly low impact and will allow our joints, ligaments and tendons to adapt to a new exercise slowly. The slow adaptation will ensure that injury is minimized so we can come back the next day and workout. What good is one weight session that destroys us for the rest of the week?

In combination with weights the use of the BOSU ball and physio ball is a great way to get a workout in as well as stay active without over doing it. Combined with some light weight dumbbell presses, curls, and lunges the use of the balls will help develop, maintain and balance your core muscles groups, all of which are important. Also, things as simple as crunches, planks and push-ups will benefit you.

Other ways to stay active without overdoing it or under-doing, is cross training. As a cyclist I will swim in the winter months in order to balance out my musculature. Cyclists tend to have a mis-balanced proportion with larger stronger legs and a smaller upper body, and swimming helps get the underutilized muscles working. Fortunately for triathletes they aren’t as susceptible to this imbalance as they are always using the entire body. But, they should still incorporate some type of cross training and a simple hike could be just that. Because cyclists and triathletes use their muscles in a very linear and straightforward way, doing things like cross country skiing, rock climbing and rollerblading can help to strengthen the outer muscles of the body.

So for those of you who insist on taking a ton of time off during the winter months, or for those of you who insist that the holidays will keep you from working out the above recommendations are easy to do and can be done in the hotel room or guest room that you may be staying in while visiting family. And for those of you who insist that riding, running or swimming are all that you need to do or can do, think again, put the bike aside and go for a hike.

Enjoy the off season but keep it fun and active. The idea is to come back next season much better, not the same, burnt out, or worse. Good luck!

Written by Matt Simpson