It is hard to have a good attitude when it’s cold outside , but there is nothing we can do about it and all the complaining in the world won’t make spring come any sooner. What we can do is make the best of white stuff during winter. Make sure to stretch your muscles out before going outside and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated!
Snow Shoveling
Snow shoveling is a pain, but it’s also hard to get to the gym during the winter. Instead of going to the gym you can get your workout in your front yard. Someone I know decided to strap on a heart rate monitor and see how many calories they would burn while shoveling. It took just over 40 minutes and 376 calories were burned with a max heart rate of 146 bpm. A great workout without leaving the house and a side benefit of improving neighbor relations. Remember that snow shoveling can be tough and lead to low back, neck and shoulder pain. Be sure to take frequent breaks, stay hydrated, and try to shovel to the left and right sides equally to avoid overuse injuries.
Cross Country Skiing
Cross-country (XC) skiing is a great low impact cardiovascular workout that can be done at a number of locations in Colorado. Cross country skiing burns a lot of calories and is a full body workout. I recently got my skis out after the last big snowstorm and found out what a great workout it is. Be sure to dress in layers because even if it’s cold out side, you will find you will be sweating in no time!
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is great because it requires very little skill outside of knowing how to walk. As with XC skiing you might be able to find snowshoes at used venues such as Play it Again Sports, Craigslist or Ebay. If you don’t have any luck finding used snowshoes you can pick up a new pair from REI for under $100.
Walking/Running
The snow does make it harder to get out and walk/run but that doesn’t mean you can’t. For runner, a great accessory to help keep you upright while walking or running is YakTrax. YakTrax are “snowshoes light” and slip over your boots and give you a little extra traction. These are great for athletic people and also the elderly who can be unstable in snow.