As the Napa Valley enters October, we see a few leaves on the trees beginning to transition to shades of amber, brown, and yellow, and fall to the ground. Sounds of leaf blowers and rakes start to fill the air. The hills begin to morph into a darker green and brownish hue as the trees and grape vines bordering the valley’s hillsides fade from the lively, vivid green hues we are accustomed to observing during a northward drive up Highway 29 on a hot summer day in July. We’ve already been granted a few bouts of rain, giving us the first hints of cold, crisp air we haven’t experienced since early in the year. The sun doesn’t light up the sky as brightly as it did during the hot summer months, signaling the change of season to a less bright, colder, and potentially wetter period over the next few months.
The desire to venture outside when the climate is cold, wet, and dark can become diminished. Peering outside to see damp ground and having to make the extra effort to dress in layers can create an aversion for people accustomed to sunny and warm days. For gardeners and home improvement enthusiasts looking to enhance the outdoor area of their homes, wet and cold environments can pose a potential barrier to heading outdoors and completing projects. The shift toward the dark, damp, cold months of fall and winter can make the inside of one’s warm, dry, and well-lit house more enticing than shivering outside on a fifty-degree day and cleaning mud off of shoes after slogging through rainy, puddle-filled streets.
Along with wanting to stay indoors more during the fall and winter months comes the challenge of having less space to move around in. For example, the inside of a two-thousand-square-foot home offers less surface area to function in when compared to the activities we conduct outside when the sun is shining. Fewer steps are likely to be taken throughout the inside of a house when compared to participating in outdoor activities. The computer chair at a home office looks far more appealing than venturing out into a chilly, overcast day. Couches, recliners, and televisions seem to get more attention when it’s gray and wet outside. For some, bingeing a Netflix or Hulu series on a rainy day can sound far more enticing than taking a leisurely walk, hike, or jog on a cold, dark, and wet evening after a long workday.
The dark and cold winter months can lead to a decrease in physical activity. We know that getting our steps in, basking in the sun on a warm day, gazing at one of the most sought-after and picturesque landscapes in the world, which we Napans are blessed with, and engaging in social interaction with other humans outside, all support a healthy and happy life. If we do less of those things, we might face the challenge of having less movement and being less engaged with other humans outside of our homes. Reduced physical activity can lead to increases in subcutaneous fat mass, slower metabolism, and a decrease in lean muscle mass. This can lead to muscle weakness, increased joint pain, or metabolic conditions such as pre-diabetes or increased levels of cholesterol. To counteract the suboptimal outcomes of being stuck indoors, fitness routines that can be performed indoors are invaluable during these seasons when the weather influences us to stay indoors.
A few simple and effective movements we conduct with our personal training clients that require only the person’s body and the ground fit into the category of “body weight exercises.” These exercises require no equipment, just the floor, the human body, and gravity.
An exercise we frequently conduct with our clients during training sessions includes squatting movements, as they target a large area of muscles in the ankles, knees, hips, and core. Additionally, when there is a lack of resistance training equipment, focusing on lengthening the time under tension throughout repetitions can add additional force to the working muscles. One such movement is the eccentric, or slow-lowered descent, chair squat:
Find a stable sitting surface to stand in front of, such as an exercise box or a chair. Keep pressure on the heels and keep your feet flat on the ground. In a slow and controlled motion, gradually sit back and down as you bend your knees at a rate of five seconds. Lower your hips to touch the surface behind you. Reverse the motion by pushing your heels into the ground and engaging your glute muscles to lift your hips until you achieve a standing position. Repeat this movement for five to ten repetitions.
By focusing on large muscle groups and joints that we typically use during the warm, bright, and sunny months ahead, we can be prepared to resume the fun, social, and engaging outdoor activities that are put on hold throughout the winter.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.