Winter is around the corner. For many, that means rain, cold, wind, snow and a lot of reasons that make exercise challenging. We tend to take on a “Snuggle up” mentality, we eat more and we do less – human hibernation! But we are not bears.

For many of us (especially those who have a weakness for candy), Halloween kicks off a 12-week season of indulgence. The challenge is that research shows that the extra pounds we put on between Halloween and Christmas can take more than five months to lose. It’s like a never-ending cycle that we don’t realize until we put on our springtime clothes. Not this winter!

If your Excy has been sitting in a closet during the summer, it’s time to get your favorite pedal exerciser out and start beating those seasonal blues to feel on top of the world. Below are several suggestions to embrace the Excy winter exercise lifestyle, including for our customers who battle limited mobility challenges due to injury, disability, or a health condition. If you don’t have an Excy, you still have time!

5 Tips to Embrace the Excy Pedal Exerciser Winter Lifestyle!

1) Exercise While Watching TV

We’re not asking you to turn all your TV time into an opportunity to exercise, just some of it. Just remember that something is better than nothing! With Excy, you don’t have to miss your favorite shows to exercise. Combine watching TV from your couch, floor, or bed with a quick Excy workout even while spending time with those you love. Simply place Excy somewhere near your TV so that it will invite you to pedal during your typical TV routine, almost guilt you into not embracing a sedentary winter. Because why just sit there, when you can sit and pedal towards greater health?

Favorite Excy pedal exerciser winter workouts while watching TV:

2) Get More Active at Work

We spend so much time at work that naturally much of our health happens at work, which then impacts our ability to be the best possible husband, wife, mom or dad when we get home. If you allow your employer to be responsible for your health and movement at work, you just might find yourself with higher rates of heart disease, eyestrain, obesity, type 2 diabetes and a shorter life span. Whether you want to take a leisure desk cycle spin with Excy during a call, hammer Excy as a unicycle for a quick intense break, or hand cycle to get the shoulders moving, Excy is up for the job. We are big fans of squeezing in short burst of high intensity play-like workouts in the midst of every life at work. If you find yourself with a spare 20-60 seconds, a quick burst or tiny workout will give you a nice energy boost. Check out the article “Think of Exercise Like Potato Chips to Eliminate Barriers” for additional ideas.

Favorite Excy pedal exerciser workouts for the office:

3) Do Strength Training Exercises

Research shows that strength training has dramatic effects on overall functional and well-being. This is a key reason we made Excy with 30X more resistance than other portable pedal exercisers, specifically for:

• Total efficiency for cardio and strength training. There’s plenty of resistance training for high intensity bursts to simultaneously get aerobic and anaerobic workouts.
• Range of motion exercises for knees, shoulders, ankles, and hips that range from isometric motions to high resistance. Whether recovering from an injury or surgery, or just working through the aging process, Excy offers total versatility to focus on restoring range of motion and flexibility.
• Cross training muscle activation that incorporates full-body cardio training, resistance training, and flexibility training. Not only do you get the benefits up upper and lower body cycling, but bi-directional resistance allows you to activate different muscles.

Focus on trying to get the resistance high at least two days a week for 15-20 minute training sessions and you’ll start to see the results. You can also go for a cardio and strength-training combo by simply increasing the tension with high intensity bursts of at least 20-60 seconds. Keep the bursts going until you reach near the peak of your ability. Then, follow up the burst with comparable recover periods of easier resistance or complete rest. If you had fun, do it again!

All Excy exercises can be turned into strength training workouts by simply increasing the resistance, but here are a few favorites:

4) Take Excy Workouts Outside

We know it’s cold, but pedaling Excy outside is a great way to change up the scenery. Bundle up and pedal from your favorite park bench. Enjoy time exercising under a porch while listening to the rain or watching snowflakes fall. Performing upper and lower body cycling workouts in the outdoors can breath some fresh air into your routine.

 A few favorite outdoor Excy pedal exerciser workouts:

5) Go Barefoot to Focus on Foot Fitness

We were born barefoot and our feet are packed with innumerable nerve endings, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and fascia that respond and react to their environment. Wrap your toes around the pedals and make stronger efforts to incorporate your feet into the pedaling process. The human foot is pretty amazing and going natural while using Excy gives you a lot of opportunities to build up the muscles in your feet and legs. Whenever you can use Excy as a pedal exerciser for your legs, try to pedal barefoot. The only position we require that you wear shoes is when using Excy in the unicycle position. 

One More Tip: Download the Excy Mobile Coaching App!

Make sure to download the free Excy Mobile Coach to help keep you motivated, inspired, and to track your workouts. Plus, there are lots of other tips, including access to workout videos, training from physical therapists and more!

Always consult with a doctor before starting a new exercise program.