Comments on Cranky Fitness: Ask Cranky Fitness

Okay, now I'm dying to know where you are...given ...

2007-12-04T10:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, now I'm dying to know where you are...given this California/Oregon reference.....

couldn't help but notice that no one mentioned exe...

2007-12-03T23:40:00.000-05:00

couldn't help but notice that no one mentioned exercise dvds as a way to get a workout without the gym or shivering aerobically outside. as long as you get one you like (think dance or kickboxing, if your masochistic), you should be okay/motivated enough to do it.

Hmmm... will have to see what mind-boggling questi...

2007-12-03T21:45:00.000-05:00

Hmmm... will have to see what mind-boggling questions I can come up with! I'm sure ther're A LOT I don't know about health and fitness. I'll only ask the questiones if I'm guaranteed a snarky reply!

i think 40 degrees is WAY too cold to run in(as it...

2007-12-03T21:35:00.000-05:00

i think 40 degrees is WAY too cold to run in(as it is right no in tx) and therefore i did not even get past the driveway today. and layers make me hott...than cold. id say find another workout...or gym.
aas for dogs, i have a mini pom, she cant keep up walking. and my spoiled cat would flip out outdoors...itd be flippin hilarious!
as for an advice column...i think that is a fabulous idea! itd be cool to see what qs people have...anyhoo...;)

brit

As a Colorado native and one who has always exerci...

2007-12-03T18:22:00.000-05:00

As a Colorado native and one who has always exercised outside in the winter, I say that the best bet is to layer in several thin, non-cotton layers and to wear thin gloves that don't make your hands sweat. Being a little cold at first helps me to keep pushing myself (and to keep dragging my dog who is not as well-trained as soap box girl's)

Re: exercising during cool / cold weather, hubby a...

2007-12-03T17:53:00.000-05:00

Re: exercising during cool / cold weather, hubby and I have been taking wonderful walks in the woods, and the cold is no problem as long as we're dressed for it. Moving around, as Marygrace pointed out, keeps you warm!

I suppose I could run in the cold. According to th...

2007-12-03T16:36:00.000-05:00

I suppose I could run in the cold. According to that article I really just need the right clothing. If I wait until about 3 in the afternoon the sun will be shining and...

Naaah. Who am I kidding. Except for the occasional *slightly* not-freezing day, I'm shelving those running shoes til at least March.

Running with dog = excellent workout, particularly...

2007-12-03T14:09:00.000-05:00

Running with dog = excellent workout, particularly if that dog wants to run faster than you and pulls you along to keep up. You either a) run faster, getting in excellent sprint training whether you want it or not or b) resist, in which case you get a great arm/back workout holding that leash. I find it helps keep me distracted and I focus less on getting done, if I'm worried about getting tangled up.
But alas, my poor dog hasn't been running since it got Too Cold (arbitrarily chosen as October 1, though I come from the land of the ice and snow and we recently had temperatures of -30C for a full week which I'd say is too cold)

I can't talk about the cold weather problem, since...

2007-12-03T12:13:00.000-05:00

I can't talk about the cold weather problem, since I live in a state that rarely sees freezing weather. However, I can sympathize with pet owners who want to train their dog to run. I thought I'd NEVER get my two trained! (I have two Australian Shepherds) I finally got them trained properly after reading _The Dog Whispherer_. It took about 3 months before I could take them for a run without them getting distracted by squirrels, other dogs, interesting pee-pee on the sides of trees, etc. Now that they are trained, it's wonderful taking them running. My male dog helps to set the pace. He keeps a very steady trot. Hang in there. It's totally worth it!

I have found that one of the best winter workouts ...

2007-12-03T11:57:00.001-05:00

I have found that one of the best winter workouts is snowshoeing - minus the snowshoes. If you seriously want a cardio workout with some serious leg strengthening exercises, go walking in the woods dressed in 10 lbs of snowsuit and giant snowboots in snow that goes to at least mid-thigh.

Needless to say, this was discovered not by trying to workout, but by trying to play in the snow / get somewhere that was buried in snow.

Why is it that none of the cold weather exercise p...

2007-12-03T11:57:00.000-05:00

Why is it that none of the cold weather exercise posts inspired me, but the mention of hot cross buns made me hungry?

I am too poor to buy a gym membership and/or a tre...

2007-12-03T11:50:00.000-05:00

I am too poor to buy a gym membership and/or a treadmill, and what I do is a) run outside (brrr!) and b) haunt craigslist's free listings and pounce on exercise equipment that is free! I may have gone a little overboard with that, in fact, as I now have an apartment full of the gimmicky exercise machines other people bought and didn't use. You kinda need a car for that plan, though, or at least a friend with a car, so you can move your "Hot Cross Buns Machine"

Okay, two days in a row where Blogger ate my comme...

2007-12-03T11:42:00.000-05:00

Okay, two days in a row where Blogger ate my comment. I'm going to get a simplex if this keeps up.

Last year during an evening bike ride a local black lab decided to accompany me. He stopped for a drink when I did and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the 12 mile trip. I was only going to go 10, but he just looked so happy I added the extra two miles.

I have to go shovel some snow later on. That's the only cold weather exercise I do. It's -27C right now. Not sure about any wind chill.

I ran in -11C with a windchill of -20C (the metric...

2007-12-03T11:12:00.000-05:00

I ran in -11C with a windchill of -20C (the metric system is a bitch, eh?) ...and dreamt of pancakes, not cake the whole time.

It can be done but -15 is my cut off. You can't feel body parts at that point and you don't need to exercise THAT badly.

No gym? Need cardio? Too cold? Walk around in the mall instead. It's warm and you're being active. Just leave the credit cards at home...or don't. Retail therapy burns calories too, right?

Actually, I try to use him as weights and do curls...

2007-12-03T10:51:00.000-05:00

Actually, I try to use him as weights and do curls with him - only when I am in a mood to really torment him. hehe. :-) He's pretty tolerant but I usually can get only one or two in before he bolts.
Yes, I need a life....

Sheesh, Bag Lady, and I complain if I have to walk...

2007-12-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

Sheesh, Bag Lady, and I complain if I have to walk a dog in the rain.

I'm with you, Crabby, I'd love to ask Missicat how you exercise with a cat. Walk a cat on a leash until a dog comes along, then sprint to keep up with the cat as it races down the path trying to keep ahead of the dog chasing it? That would certainly be aerobic.

Oops, hope I didn't scare Mary off by jumping in a...

2007-12-03T10:26:00.000-05:00

Oops, hope I didn't scare Mary off by jumping in all over the place.

Missicat, if you've tried to exercise with your cat you're a braver woman than I! (And I actually like the cold too, at least down to the 20's if it's not too windy. But layers, lots o' layers!)

I suspect MaryGrace is the hearty type, as opposed...

2007-12-03T10:18:00.001-05:00

I suspect MaryGrace is the hearty type, as opposed to the whiny type. As a whiner, I find I start off Way Too Cold, and am soon Way Too Warm.

And Mary, I love that you ask questions in your own advice column! Too bad dear Abby doesn't do that or her columnn would be much more fun.

Um... snowshoes?

And OMG Bag Lady, those temperatures should be illegal!

Oh, and she loves the idea of a 'Dear Crabby' colu...

2007-12-03T10:18:00.000-05:00

Oh, and she loves the idea of a 'Dear Crabby' column!!
And she thinks we should all send in suggestions for poor Mary to find a cooler name.
The Bag Lady's suggestion? She's working on it....

I actually enjoy running when it's a bit on the co...

2007-12-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

I actually enjoy running when it's a bit on the cooler side, as long as it is not sleeting or snowing heavily of course! Tried to exercise with the cat, but as you can imagine that did not work out well. ;-)

The Bag Lady lives where it actually IS cold (righ...

2007-12-03T10:16:00.000-05:00

The Bag Lady lives where it actually IS cold (right now, it's minus 23C with a wind-chill of -34C, which is around -25F) and there's no f**king way she would be running outside! Unless, of course, it was from the house to the truck! (Of course, the Bag Lady doesn't run in warm weather, either...her dog won't let her!)

The Bag Lady DOES exercise outside in this weather, though. Chopping firewood, feeding cows, shoveling snow. Who needs a treadmill...?!

I need to find a name that's cool and Short.

2007-12-03T10:06:00.000-05:00

I need to find a name that's cool and Short.

MaryGrace, the trouble I ran into (no pun intended...

2007-12-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

MaryGrace, the trouble I ran into (no pun intended) was that even with wick-material layers, I would sweat and then get cold as the sweat cooled my body.
It's also a regional thing. My aunt lives down by Palm Springs, and she doesn't like to exercise when it's really cold, like in the 50s.

I have a question -- what do people do who are a)t...

2007-12-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

I have a question -- what do people do who are a)too poor to buy a gym membership and b)too cheap to buy a treadmill? In the season of snow&ice, I mean. I don't want to turn into a couch potato until April :(

i think it would probably have to be wellll below ...

2007-12-03T09:59:00.000-05:00

i think it would probably have to be wellll below freezing before it is too cold to exercise outside. if you are moving vigorously and are bundled up enough, you can warm up pretty quickly.