Who says it is too cold for exercise?

 

I am not a huge fan of winter, but I do love playing in the snow with C.  I don’t even mind shoveling.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment and burns plenty of calories to boot.  In fact, with my body weight, I can burn 345 calories an hour shoveling snow.  In fact, the American Heart Association’s Cold Weather Fitness guide states:

“There’s no reason you need to take a break from physical activity when the temperature drops. In fact, exercising in cooler weather has some distinct advantages over working out in the warmer weather. For one, you don’t have heat and humidity to deal with. In fact, winter’s chill can make you feel awake and invigorated. Not only that, you can work out harder in the cold weather—which means you burn even more calories. Heading outside in the winter is also a great way to take in the sunlight (in small doses). Not only does light dramatically improve many people’s moods, it also helps you get the vitamin D.”

Sunday was a snowy, blowy day in Maine.  However, C and I got outside as soon as we could.  She and I played and I shoveled the front walk.  Later Sunday, while she napped, I shoveled some more.  After 2 hours, I had unearthed one of the cars and created a man-made sledding hill at the front of the driveway.  Monday morning was sunny and quiet.  C and I headed outside early and played before Pre-K.  Then I shoveled for another hour and a half before heading in to do some work. 

I was glad for the time in the sun, a bit sore, but happy to have burned a grand total of 1,208 calories in 2 days. 

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