After a winter full of snow and freezing temperatures, everyone is feeling a bit of spring fever. Although COVID-19 lockdowns may put a damper on your plans, The Varsity is here to provide you with some healthy ways to soak in the sun. Tie up your favorite sneakers — make sure they’re comfy — put on a light hoodie, and get active!
Power walk into the new season
Although you may associate power walking with old folks at the mall, they might just have the right idea. Power walking has been shown in studies to reduce the risk of some cardiovascular problems, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure! Moreover, a mountain of research suggests power walking can improve your mental health, with some benefits seen in anxiety and depression.
Best of all, there’s no real financial investment required — tie your shoes and hop out the door!
Running up hills can run up your cardio
No cheesy fitness montage is complete without hill sprints — a powerful exercise that is quite literally running up and down a hill. This workout can help you burn some extra calories as compared to running on even ground, and can even help build muscle in your legs. While this workout might be a bit harder to do in the city, why not explore further away and find a nice hill to climb?
Jumping rope to jump out of winter
The favourite workout of middle school gym classes, jumping rope is another cost-effective way to get some cardio in the sun. It not only boosts your heart health — like many other high-intensity workouts — it has also been shown to improve balance. So, why not relive your youth and grab a jump rope? You’re not getting those years back, so you might as well replicate them as best as you can.
