Mona Deprey, Associate Director of Research Operations
Exercising outdoors in the Pacific Northwest can be a challenge, even for someone who loves to exercise like myself. One needs to embrace rain, wind, darkness and occasional snow and ice. It’s taken a lot of trial and error for me to figure out the perfect mix of discipline, motivation, and tricking myself to get outside.
It took about three years or so of refining my workout schedule to realize that I need to be outdoors all year. Aside from practicing yoga inside, I don’t exercise indoors at all. There is something about fresh air that keeps me going.
A common phenomenon in the Pacific Northwest is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). My second winter in Seattle I started getting the symptoms; I wanted to be asleep in bed by 7pm, I was lethargic and unmotivated to exercise in the dark. I eventually bought a secondhand light box to help me get through the winter. Light therapy is evidence based and affordable.
Fortunately, I discovered where to cross-country ski—a sport I love and competed in during high school and college. Often I would leave the gray, dark Seattle weather and within an hour, I would be in the snow at Snoqualmie Pass. I can’t tell you how many times it would be sunnier than Seattle or even better—beautiful snow would be falling. By replacing running with Nordic skiing every weekend morning, I fought SAD by being out in the bright snow. Really, how could I not snap out of my funk?
Cross-country skiing is often cited as oneof the best all-around sports. Much like swimming, it requires the use of the upper and lower body and burns a lot of calories. Cross-country skiing can be an intimidating sport but Seattleites are lucky to have a flat, easy place to learn the sport. Iron Horse State Park, part of the John Wayne Trail, has over 6 miles of groomed, flat terrain. Cross country skiing, also known as Nordic skiing, is not only one of the best sports for cardiovascular fitness, it’s also relatively cheap. An annual Washington State Sno-Park pass is $80. A complete gear set up at a local shop is generally under $250 and can last over 10 years.
Besides acknowledging my need to be outside and get some snow time during the winter, I’ve noticed that my job is cyclical and I need to work with those busy times. We have grant submission cycles, quarterly updates, etc. I look ahead and schedule workouts on my work calendar; it becomes a task and reminds me to get my exercise in. I also mix up what I do during the year so that I don’t become bored, alternating Nordic skiing on the winter weekends with warm yoga and easy running during the week. In spring I transition to trail running and some easy hikes in the snow. Summer means mountaineering and trail running races, and fall is all about staying healthy and getting ready for winter.
If you’re like a lot of folks, you’re waiting for the longer, sunnier days of spring and summer to get outside again. I suggest you learn to embrace the winter weather, travel to the snow or just acknowledge how nice it can be to be in the crisp cool air of a February morning. Believe it or not, the trees are budding, the crocuses are starting to pop and the signs of spring are already happening. But the best part for those of us in the Pacific Northwest is we can enjoy both winter (Snoqualmie Pass) and spring all in the same day on our days off. It’s just an hour’s drive.