ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 24, 1996 TAG: 9611220002
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 11 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BOULDER, COLO.
SOURCE: SANDRA FISH KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
With snow already on the ground in some parts of the country, it's time to gear your workout to winter.
Fitness experts offer a range of advice for making the transition from the summer's outdoor endurance activities to cool-weather pursuits. Winter months are a good time to scale back and let overuse injuries heal, some say. It's also a great time to focus on cross-training and try a new sport.
``For the fitness enthusiast, you transition to some fall trail running, trail hiking, ski bounding,'' says Andy Pruitt, a physician assistant and athletic trainer in Boulder. ``The Stairmaster is a nice transition to cross-country skiing.''
But it isn't the time to lose ground you gained in the warm weather.
``People tend to eat a lot more in the winter time, so you need to be conscious of that,'' says Nicole Mains, athletic director at World Gym in Boulder. ``People tend to be less active.''
Dr. Lorri Fulkerson, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Boulder Medical Center, agrees it's important to keep active.
``The most important thing is just to maintain condition,'' she says. ``As the weather changes, you have to get in a different mode ... It's a good time to allow overuse injuries to settle down and heal up.''
And don't think that it's wrong to scale back. ``If people can continue a program where they're exercising 30 to 45 minutes, three or four times a week intensive exercise you do in the summertime,'' Fulkerson says.
Following are some ideas to consider as the seasons change:
Health clubs are hot in the winter.
June Lantz, fitness director at Boulder's Pulse Downtown athletic club, says spinning - a popular bicycling workout - is a perfect indoor activity for those accustomed to cycling outside. Stationary bicycles and treadmills are another option if you don't want to continue biking or running in the cold.
Circuit training - a quick-paced rotation of aerobic and resistance exercises - is another possibility. The Pulse is starting a ski-conditioning circuit class.
``It's a great, great way to do ski conditioning,'' says Nan Fitzgerald, personal fitness training director at the club. In skiing, ``you're going from really pounding to using your muscles. You need both strength and cardiovascular.''
Fulkerson says any sort of ski-conditioning class is a good idea this fall if you plan to hit the slopes.
``That focuses on important strengthening,'' she says.
Strength should probably be on your winter agenda.
``Strength training ought to be a big part of transitioning into the off-season,'' Pruitt says. ``One of the biggest mistakes endurance athletes make is neglecting their upper body, their back and belly.''
So if you're headed indoors, consider working with the weights.
Swimming is a great, low-impact aerobic workout.. And if you give up some outdoor activity, now may be the time to get in the swim - especially if it's something you haven't tried.
Pruitt says swim lessons could turn you on to a new sport. And it's a good way to stay in shape.
``Every swimming stroke for me is a fight for my life, so it's a great aerobic workout,'' he says.
If you don't like laps, consider signing up for a water aerobics class at your local recreation center or club.
Popular outdoor cross-training options include cross-country skiing and snowshoeing..
``The snowshoeing really has reached a lot of people because it allows people to continue on the trails they hike in the summer,'' says Melanie Gonglach of Mountain Sports.
Snowshoeing is popular because it's simple - just strap a pair of shoes on your winter boots and start walking, no training necessary - and it's relatively inexpensive - about $200 for a pair of snowshoes and you're ready to go, compared with cross-country or downhill skiing where more gear is needed.
``It's just more user-friendly,'' Gonglach says.
That doesn't mean skiing is out of favor, although popularity is stable to declining, Gonglach says. Track skiing provides a good alternative to summer workouts - and a new physical challenge as well. It's also a good transition from in-line skating.
``That's a great aerobic workout,'' Gonglach says. ``It definitely takes a lot of practice and skill to get the different strides down.''
It's great to have plenty of options,. but the winter can bring out the hibernation instinct in anyone. If you find yourself transformed to a couch potato, make an appointment with yourself - and perhaps someone else - to get off the sofa.
``Hire somebody [to be your trainer] or get a workout partner who's going to push you through the workout,'' Mains suggests. ``For those people who can't get motivated, jump into a class or find somebody to work out with.
``Make it part of your daily routine.''
LENGTH: Medium: 96 linesby CNB