Each year here on Keep Moving Weekly, we set a Spring Training plan. Exercising through the winter can be challenging, and this year we have an extra large challenge. Thankfully, we have been practicing making a winter exercise plan for years so we are ready for the 2021 Spring Training Challenge!
We call it Spring Training instead of a winter exercise plan because spring is a great motivator! We all want to feel good that first spring day when we can get outside and enjoy an activity we missed all winter long. Those springtime activities can be your motive and your guide for exercising through the winter.
Studies show that writing down a goal and saying it out loud both increase the chances of achieving it. Ask yourself the questions below. Write down your answers and then share them with someone else.
- What do I want to be able to do in the Spring of 2021? Choose a physical activity that you enjoy or is important to you. Maybe enjoying a hike with family members or doing the gardening with more ease.
- What do I need to be able to do those activities? Strength? Stamina? Mobility? This will help you decide what types of exercise are most important to you this winter. We generally need a mix of all three but which is your body needing most?
- What types of exercise can I do indoors to get more strength, stamina, and mobility? Fortunately there is a wide array of online exercise opportunities right now for cardio and for strength . If you are a UMass Memorial Weight Center patient, you have access to our very own online exercise courses for free.
- When will I do these types of exercises? Make a plan a and a plan b so you have a set schedule with some flexibility for the normal changes in life. Remember, small bouts work just as well as one longer bout. Be creative with how you fit exercise into your schedule
- How can I connect what I am doing for exercise with what I want to do in Spring? A picture of someone hiking or a plant to remind you of your garden? In those short dark cold days of winter, you are going to need a reminder that spring is coming and you will be ready!
You are ready for your 2021 Spring Training Challenge! I will be doing more check in’s through these blogs throughout the Fall and Winter to help us stay on track. Post your plan in comments for some extra commitment! If you are a weight center patient, contact me with any questions or for extra support.
Despite all the challenges of 2020, we will get through this winter and come out stronger in spring because we will Keep Moving and Be Well!
Keep Moving, Be Well
Janet
Keep Moving Weekly 
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