Fitness Friday: Winter Time Gripes

I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to write about for this week's Fitness Friday and when I though back to classes this week I thought about my hairy legs, which made me blame winter and then think of more winter time gripes. So, bear with me as I get gripey. It's still time to work out! No excuses!

Hairy Legs
Please tell me I am not the only one that goes a week without shaving their legs. If it weren't for my fitness classes, it might even be longer. I think one week I wore long workout pants all week because I never got around to shaving my legs. Although, there was one week that I put on capris (in the dark) and through over sweatpants without thinking about the state of my legs, only to get to class and cringe at the sight of my legs and the length of hair after 6 days of growth. I was anxious the entire class that everyone could see and were thinking it was so gross. Luckily it was a class that we were upright for most of the class so no one was too close to my legs. You better believe that they were shaved the next morning before yoga out of fear someone would look over during their forward fold and develop a fear of getting picked. During the summer months of pools and shorts, my legs generally have a smooth appearance. I just slack with shaving in the winter.

Snow and Cold Days
The snow days and cold days we have been having are ticking me off. For us, they have not resulted in any real accumulation, which means I have not gotten out yet to cross country ski or to snowshoe. (I do have both in my possession, if any local friends want to go when we do have enough snow). But the extreme cold (yes, I know it's winter in MN, but we have had our fair share of below zero weather already this year) and high winds (as I type this we are under a blizzard warning with wind gusts of up to 50 mph) make it dangerous and foolish to do anything outside let alone drive somewhere to do something. Those are the days I have to make a concentrated effort to get on the treadmill or put an exercise DVD. I kinda miss going outside other than just running to/fro my car.

Dry Skin
I really would like to take a bath in lotion. The problem with dry skin, lotion and working out is have you ever felt your skin if you put lotion or moisturizer on too soon before working out you become like a sweaty greased pig. It starts streaming down your face or your legs because you have created a smooth surface. What I need to start doing is coming home after my class and lotioning up, but by that point there is already so much commanding my attention that I am lucky to get out of my workout clothes at all (don't worry I don't - I don't stay a sweaty stinky mess all day.)

So Many Layers
I am getting sick of keeping track of so many layers on all of us. I long for the day when I run in to class already dressed in my workout outfit and not outwear wear other than a pair of flip flops and just throw on my socks and shoes. But in the winter there is a warmer layer over the workout clothes, plus all the outwear (however many pieces that ends up being) and our wet boots on both me and the kids.

Daylight?
I have a hard getting motivated when it is dark out. I get dressed for my workout classes when it is still dark, but at least when I get there, there is daylight, but not for the 2 evening classes. In the summer I would even go to a 6am class because the sunlight helped to wake me, but it is hard to even fathom those classes in the winter with it being all cold and dark.

With all that said, this week Monday - Friday, I attended 5 classes at Dynamic Fitness, ran on a treadmill with a friend and did a yoga dvd at home. I don't let the gripes be excuses.

It's a good thing we are going to Florida next month. I am getting the winter time blues.