Winter Fitness at Sound Health Physicians:

Hello and welcome to the winter edition of Fitness at Sound Health Physicians.  Winter is a tough season to keep active but with a few tips and a bit of personal commitment you can keep moving, stay fit and continue working toward your goals. In this installment we are going to talk about the following: winter fitness safety tips, how to keep your New Years resolutions, and Sound Health Physicians New Walking Club.  The winter months can be dangerous, but with a few simple changes you can stay safe and keep going through this wet/dark weather.
 
The first change that the winter brings is shorter days, and with that comes less light. If you enjoy a good walk in the morning or evening usually these tips will come in especially helpful. Now that daylight is restricted to the midday hours it is imperative that you make yourself visible. A few ways to do this are by wearing light clothing, wearing reflective gear, or even a clip on light here and there. Reflective gear is easier to find than you think, many windbreakers and running shoes come equipped with reflective gear. Adhesive reflective strips are also available in many stores.  Any of the activewear stores will have reflective and clip on lights for outdoor fitness. Home Depot or other home improvement stores will carry adhesive reflective strips you can stick on to anything. Dog walkers also need to be cautious, there are many harnesses and clip on lights that will make all the difference to a motorist driving in the dark. Finally be mindful of the cold. Use layering to your advantage, by layering you give yourself the option of taking one light layer off if you warm up during your activity without being too cold without it. Now that the New Year is here its time to recommit to your fitness, but how do you make sure that your resolution lasts more than a few weeks?
Fitness is something that cannot be rushed and cannot be achieved overnight, because of this it is important to take things one step at a time. Start simple and safe with your fitness. Keep your Resolution simple with both short and long term goals, for example focus on how many times you are active per week rather than putting your entire workout under a microscope.  A short term goal would be to start walking, or start walking more than once a week. While a long term goal would be to decrease your blood pressure or weight. Fitness should not only be a priority but also be about movement, gardening, walking to the bus, taking your dog for a walk,  a bike ride…all of these are great ways to make movement a part of your daily life. Lastly use your resources, as a member of Sound Health Physicians you have access to Certified Personal Training and we can be your fitness ambassadors. Let our expertise benefit you. To help keep your Resolutions we will be starting a walking club in the near future to offer a community or group atmosphere to add to your activity.
 

Would you like to be more active but boot camps and gyms are just not your thing? Maybe a walking club is the way to go. Sound Health Physicians will be offering a once a week group walk for all comers. If you are interested in meeting others that like to move and have a community of support to help you stay committed to your fitness then contact Pam at 206 612 8565 or by email at: pam@soundhealthphysicians.com. This group will be focused on just getting out there, nothing extravagant or overly difficult just simply getting out there and getting moving with other folks. Remember to Stay Safe during these winter months. Also to keep your resolutions keep it simple and think small. Finally if you are interested in joining our upcoming Walking Club contact Pam at pam@soundhealthphysicians.com.