On days that I don’t get out for a run or attend a yoga class, I do cross training (sometimes I do both!). Although you may think that some of these activities should not actually be called x-training, I think they qualify. For me these are any activity that gets my heart rate up or I break into a sweat, plus they involve lots of body movement.
This past summer my x-training took the form of lots of gardening – almost daily because of the awesome weather we had. Moving, sifting or spreading dirt or compost around my yard not only got me hot, sweaty and dirty, it also really worked lots of non-running muscles.
Now that the fall is here, the perfect physical activity is leaf raking. Where I live, under a canopy of several large big leaf maple trees, this means a daily dose of this. If you live in an apartment or don’t have any leaves to rake (lucky you), you might want to volunteer to do this for an elderly or disabled neighbour; I’m sure they would appreciate it and you will be doing yourself a favour too. And don’t forget to compost those leaves so you can spread them around the garden in the spring. (Yes, yard work is a vicious circle, but oh so good for you!)
The other day after I finished raking leaves from my newly seeded patch of lawn (that was what all the summer dirt moving, etc. was all about) and clearing them from the pathways and the deck, I celebrated with a little dance on the deck and a few minutes of hula hooping. All in aid of cross training to keep the body moving and healthy.
If you want to check on calorie counts of various activities, look here. I noticed that 3 hours of gardening burned 762 calories for my weight. Now there is a good reason to celebrate!
What are your favourite cross training activity, other than swimming, yoga, or cycling (the traditional ones)?
I am a runner.
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