Necessary evils: contracts, taxes, taking out the trash (imagine the stink!), paying your bills and…lifting weights to avoid injuries.

I loath the gym.  It’s how I paid my bills when I was in college; I remember many mornings in Oregon, taking my dog for a walk at 4am in the snow so that I could open up the gym at 5am (this is WAY before 24 hr gyms).  So like anything that you’ve had a bit too much of – now I avoid it.

BUT – a good solid resistance program is really key to avoiding injuries… and a bit of leg strength discrepancy has creeped into my cycling.  Yoga and strengthening is my solution, especially now that I’m headed into the winter months.

Even though I had a horrible, non-racing racing season because of surgeries in 2016 – winter is still the time of year for me to regroup, focus on the endurance miles and rehab my body so that it’s ready for the spring-time push.

In some ways, I’m happy to head into the gym – it gives me an indoor workout during winter days were nighttime comes a 5pm.   But as soon as I’m there, BAM!, I’m ready to walk out the door!  I whip through that workout like I’m on fire!  I do slow down to make sure that my form is good and equal balance is on both feet… but I’m certainly not loitering around and chatting to people!

Does your workout routine change during the winter months?