You may have bulging biceps, but your heart may not be up to the task, he says. So Dr. Emmett's first prescription for rural and mountain dwellers is aerobic training. Build up your stamina so you can put in long, hard days and still have energy remaining for short blasts of hard effort. The base-level cardiovascular routine would be to get your heart pumping hard for stretches of 20 minutes or more, at least three times a week, Dr. Emmett says. It's important that you find a way to get an aerobic workout indoors, as well, advise Dr. Emmett and Charles Swencionis, Ph.D., head of the health psychology program at Yeshiva University in New York City and co-author of The Lazy Person's Guide to Fitness .
Snow is no excuse for falling out of shape.
Second, Dr. Emmett says, work on upper-body strength. But, he says, pay particular attention to upper-body conditioning. Next priority in terms of muscles is to strengthen your back and abdominals, Dr. Emmett says. The third aspect of health and fitness for the outdoor worker, says Dr. Emmett, is hydration. Carry a water bottle, cooler or thermos with you.