The winter months can be a tempting time to curl up on the couch and while away the days with reality television until there’s a spring thaw, but if you want to get healthy, you’re going to have to find a way to get up, get moving, and get fit. The winter Olympics are coming, and they are proof that there are plenty of ways to stay fit even in the most frigid of temperatures. For the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, there will be a few new men’s and women’s events that are added in the areas of skiing, skating, and biathlon relay. If you want to stay active this winter, then here is how you can use some of the latest health tech products while you ski, skate, or cross-train to meet your goals.
Skiing
According to Livestrong.com, skiing engages your core muscles, the gluteus complex, and nearly every muscle in your legs from the hamstrings down to your ankles. If you use a fitness band or a fitness bracelet, it’s not likely to pick up how many “steps” you traveled as you fly down the slopes, but some of them can measure altitude, and others can measure your heart rate.
Skating
Like skiing, skating engages many of the same muscle groups, but some people find skating to be a more strenuous activity since it takes more effort to travel across a flat plane than it does to go down a hill. If you want to use health tech products to track your activity level while skating, then go with armband fitness monitors, since there’s not a lot of activity in skating that is similar to walking.
Biathlon Relay
The biathlon relay at the winter Olympics is a fascinating event. It involves a team of four members skiing loops and alternating with bouts of target shooting. When a team member misses a target and fails to make the shot after a second chance, they must ski a penalty loop of 150 meters for every target that they missed. Obviously, you’re probably not going to have the opportunity to ski, shoot targets, in a prone and then a standing position, and then hit the slopes once again. However, you can replicate this kind of varied activity in the gym. Try a routine which is comprised of about 10 minutes on an elliptical, or ski trainer machine if you are fortunate to have one at your gym, followed by 10 minutes on a rowing machine, or performing some other exercise that focuses on your upper body. Health tech products like armband monitors are perfect in this scenario where your heart rate is going to vary as you move through the different activities.
A great majority of people who exercise find that the fitness gadgets they use can contribute to more successful workouts, according to a survey conducted by Life Fitness. Remember that your health tech products work just as well in the winter as they do in the summer, and a great way to beat the winter blues is by making sure that regular activity keeps those endorphins flowing.