Inside Voices

The river, which has been positively gushing, is now at a calm. the banks have opened slightly as the temperature has crested 10 degreesF and the winds have calmed. The past few days have been astonishingly cold, reaching down as low at -20 at night with a windchill of -50 (to say "feels like" is nonsensical to me, because I don't think I can tell much the difference between super friggin cold and really super friggin cold). What's strange is that I don't mind it. I need to remember to zip up my jacket all the way and put my gloves on even just to cross the street, but otherwise it's beautiful and frankly pleasant. However, that doesn't mean I want to exercise in what is essentially -50 degrees, so I went back into my notes and used my brain a little bit (a surprise to me as well) to come up with an exercise I could do myself that wouldn't wake my fellow residents who may be trying to sleep or work. A website I respect is 12 Minute Athlete, which name is pretty self explanatory. I had bookmarked in my phone a workout Krista, who runs the site, posted last year that does not include any equipment and is relatively silent (no jumping), so it's perfect for my situation. I used a timer app to set intervals, though when I do it next time I will program it differently so I get a better all around workout. The workout can be found here, and is comprised of variants of pushups and squats — both full-body exercises that get the heart rate up with out causing a commotion (aside from the inevitable grunts and swears) — and wraps up with some supplemental core work.

Additionally, I added a set of low-impact burpees— no jumping, and utilizing the yoga transition from forward bend to low plank in my burpee transition, which is harder and slower, something I can appreciate when I'm doing smaller reps and trying to be quiet.

Even though it was a short workout, about 15 minutes, I still broke a pretty good sweat! While I prefer to be outside, there are times when it can be dangerous, and it's nice to have a back-up plan. Outside is free, but so is using the space we already occupy.

In my studio, I can get in the zone writing, and am thankful for my little Soleus Go! that reminds me to move when I've been stagnant. Sometimes I ignore it because you don't walk away from the table on a heater, but if I'm just fighting through my own procrastination, the reminder is good to get away from my desk and do some stretching. My go-to is Bird Dog, an ab workout that is very simple and stabilizing, and again doesn't require any equipment or jumping. I do 2 sets of 15 on each side, alternating the sides.

If you work at a desk, or travel often and need a simple and quiet workout, I'm interested in what your go-to routine is. Post it in the comments!