Snow-tastic Exercise

Since I have about 22" of snow and my girl fitmomma has about 32" of snow - clearly we aren't going to be able to get to the gym today or maybe the next few days. The news is telling everyone to stay home and they gym is smartly staying closed. There are also tons of power outages in the area, so exercise has to take a new form, yes?

So here are some ideas of how to stay fit when you are under snowpocalypse type conditions.

1. Shoveling. This was my exercise yesterday. I spent somewhere in the 3 hr range..maybe more...digging out of my house and then digging my car out. Let me tell you - my shoulders, back, core, and legs (bend at the knees folks!) got a work out that was seriously intense. Now, you have to be careful and remember to take breaks! Shoveling is very hard work and very cardio intense...you need to take hydration and breaks just to stay safe and prevent overexertion. Especially today when the weather is below freezing.

2. Walk. Just like running on the beach, walking on snow gives you a good workout because the surface isn't stable. Get out of the house and enjoy this once in a lifetime record breaking snowfall. Just remember to be safe again, watch out for the icy patches and the cold temps. Be sure to bundle up tight. And make sure you bring a cell phone to call in case of an emergency.

3. Play. Remember being a kid when it snowed? Build a snowman, have a snowball fight with family, friends, and neighbors. Build a snow fortress. Whatever you have in your imagination...just get out there and do it. It's fun and you can get the family and kids involved. Plus with all the stress we have from work, school, and life in general...we really just could all take a break to revert to being 10 again, don't you think? This kind of cardio is really good for your heart.

Those are just some ideas for things you can do to get out of the house and burn some calories. Just be careful! Pay attention to your body for when you are too cold or not feeling well, bundle up, and take breaks. I spent about 3 hrs shoveling yesterday and I am feeling the burn everywhere in a good way.

Enjoy the Blizzard of 2010 if you are in the affected regions and if you are not...enjoy normal winter weather, lol.