With walking making up a significant amount of individuals reported exercise regimes, the weather can have a huge impact on your total exercise time for the week. August in Toowoomba typically means cold winds that suck the life out of the flickering motivation levels we can have about exercising in winter. If you typically undertake 3 x 30minute walks per week as a cornerstone of your movement, then missing these due to poor weather conditions will hinder your progress toward your health goals. So what can you do to still maintain your weekly movement levels and not end up with a chill or illness? A homebased exercise regime prescribed by a qualified health professional, will produce the same if not more calorie expenditure than your light walk as well as several other health benefits.
Often we mistakenly think that ‘cardio burns more calories than weights’ and that therefore walking will likely ‘help me lose the gut’ and whilst it is true that a well rounded exercise program will enhance your fat loss chances, a moderate-intensity home based program designed around repetitive movements using body weight and perhaps even some small dumbbells is a more than worthy substitute when the weather is poor. In fact, the Metabolic Equivalent (METs) for “Calisthenics home exercise, light or moderate effort” is a 4.5 whereas “Walking 3.5 – 4 mph (5.6 – 6.4 kph), level, brisk, firm surface” is 4.0 METs.
METs allow you to determine the amount of output, which can also be converted or measured in calories, for almost any form of movement or physical activity. Ultimately, a combination of cardiovascular, resistance and mobility types of exercise are recommended, but having a plan B that allows you to continue your progress in even the poorest weather conditions, is a huge asset to your long-term health improvement.
Have a great week, Alastair.
