Workouts in winter

One of the things I miss about being back home is the ease with which I could workout.  Whenever I reached home late from work, I could simply change into my workout clothes, lace up my shoes and off I went on a run or walk or bike ride.  I also used to go to the gym quite regularly after work.  It was again, a breeze, since I don't need too many clothes or shoes to change into.

Here, the cold weather means that I have to be quite warmly bundled up in a few layers of clothes whenever I want to head outdoors.  That makes changing into workout clothes quite tiresome.  Not only do I have to peel off layers of clothes, I also have to change into indoor shoes before I can workout.  Then, after changing  into suitable gear, I have to lug my thick jacket and boots and bag out of the changing room and head to the badminton court.

Yeah.  Pete and I tried our hand at badminton on Friday.  There's a badminton hall just a couple of bus stops away so we decided to put that into our exercise regime.  And yeah, another thing I miss is the cheap booking fee for badminton courts and cheap shuttlecocks.  We paid SEK130 (about S$25) per hour during the off peak period.  The Yonex shuttlecocks cost about S$30 for six plastic ones.  The feather ones are much more expensive - more than S$50 for the big tub.  According to the salesperson at the sporting goods store, people usually use the feather ones for tournaments and matches.

But, having said that, I still love being here.  The cold weather means that we are very comfortable as we move around the court.  Not too sweaty and I feel so good as I moved.  And it wasn't like we were taking it easy.  We did some drills, exercises and played a singles game at the end.  We even jogged around the entire hall after the game.  And yet, my t-shirt wasn't drenched in sweat.  Back home, just a 5-minute jog would have me sweating from head to toe.

I just wish I can figure out how to dress properly for an outdoor jog in such cold weather.  I have seen people here running in the snow and cold.  Not as many as in summer or fall, but surprisingly more than I expected.  Maybe I have to invest in good warm, running gear.  But I don't really know where to start.  I'm worried about being either too warmly dressed or not warm enough.  This is when I miss being able to just head out and run whenever I want.

Ah well, this is an adjustment period for me.  I guess I have to really get used to the long, cold winters here first and then slowly find my groove.