Cardio on Fire

I write my blog ahead of time, so I hope that by the time this post gets published the air quality has improved.  If so, go workout as usual and think of this as information for the next batch of fires (hi, climate change!).  If not, here are some thoughts about how to get a cardio workout inside in fire season during a pandemic when it is hot.

 

Those of us who have cardio equipment and air conditioning are golden.  Carry on, folks, as usual.

 

Those of us who have cardio equipment who usually rely on fans and ventilation from outside to make the workout tolerable are still in pretty good shape.  We may find ourselves hotter than usual and we may find that we want to take the intensity down a bit until we can throw open all the windows and doors.  We want to pay attention to staying hydrated even more than usual and watch ourselves for overheating.

 

If we do not have the blessing of cardio equipment on hand, we still can work out.  (Keep in mind the tips above for those of us who don’t have air conditioning.)  We just have to be a little more creative about it.  The most important tool will be a timer.  This is one of those times when we can all give thanks for intervals because they help us avoid boredom.  What we want to do is this:  pick out some cardio exercises (jacks, burpees, step-ups, mountain climbers, woodchoppers, high knees, jump lunges, etc.) and alternate minute segments of those with minute segments of walking around the house.  If we pick five different exercises, we’ll want to do two or three rounds of the whole thing to get 20 or 30 minutes of cardio in.

 

All of us need to remember that our bodies and minds are stressed right now.  We may not be able to work out as hard or as long as usual.  This is okay.  Doing even a little bit will help our moods and our bodies.

 

Be safe and go play.