Stretch Your Boundaries With 7 Fun Winter Activities!
Cold temperatures shouldn’t be an excuse to stop your winter activities to stay fit. For those of us who love the outdoors and are interested in some healthy activities that are fueled by the cold and snow, below is a list of activities you can do outdoors in the winter to keep yourself active.
*1. Snowshoeing
Just about everyone can do it. Provided that there is at least about six inches of snow on the ground, you can walk just about anywhere, regardless of how choppy, packed, or rugged the snow cover.
Once out, it doesn’t take long before you understand how to pick up your feet, use wider strides, and set your shoe down. Trekking through the depths of snow works your leg muscles, as well as raising your heart rate.
Snowshoeing is a major calorie-burner; you can burn in 20-30 minutes what could easily require 1-1/2 to 2 hours of regular walking. Approximate calories burned in 30 minutes: 404
*2. Shoveling Snow
If you’ve got the time and energy, have your driveway do some work for you by keeping that gas-guzzling snow blower in the garage and shoveling instead.
Shoveling can help tone your body significantly! Even after a downfall of just a few inches, shoveling the driveway is a true cardio exercise — and you’ll have the automatic incentive of being able to get out of the house.
Just remember to implement proper mechanics – being sure to bend at your legs and not your back!
Approximate calories burned in 30 minutes: 245
*3. Downhill Skiing/Snowboarding/Sledding
Many families like to plan vacations during the winter. If you have decided to go to a ski resort, skiing, snowboarding, and sledding are fun ways to be outdoors and get a workout in.
Stay active during your trip, take lessons and stay on the slopes all day long, and then end your evening snuggling up next to the fire.
If you are naturally fit individual, none of these winter activities should be too difficult for you. Snowboarding and skiing rely a lot on ab and leg strength, along with flexibility.
Snowboarding works a variety of muscle groups. You use your hamstrings and quadriceps to start the board moving, and your hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles to guide the board and make turns.
Your core muscles, ankle muscles and foot muscles work to maintain your body’s balance on the board.
Approximate calories burned in 30 minutes:
Skiing, downhill: 352
If a person goes snowboarding for 30 minutes that is 279 calories the person is burning off.
Spending just 30 minutes sledding allows you to burn a whopping 315 calories.
*4. Ice Skating
It’s a good, active alternative to something stationary like seeing a movie.
You and your kids will hardly notice that it is exercise — until you feel the satisfying soreness of your muscles the next day.
Approximate calories burned in 30 minutes: 202
*5. Cross Country Skiing
Cross Country skiing is one of the most demanding winter sports that anyone can do. Heck, it’s an Olympic sport! Whatever you want to put into your workout, no matter what you do, is what you are going to get out of it.
If you want to train for a winter cross-country skiing race, power to you. I am sure you can find these races all over the country.
Approximate calories burned in 30 minutes: between 250-500
*6. Snowmobiling
You wouldn’t think snowmobiling would actually burn calories but it does. Simply snowmobiling for 30 minutes will cause you to burn 140 calories. Not too shabby for just riding around in the snow.
*7. Chopping Wood
During the winter months, many people just want to curl up in front of the fireplace. Well, before you can enjoy the inviting warmth of the fire, you are probably going to have to chop some wood.
If you spent only 20 minutes chopping wood you would still burn 186 calories.
Whether it is work or play, it is easy to burn calories with typical winter activities that we take for granted.
Regardless of the activity you choose during the winter, the whole idea is to get up and move. Get the blood pumping and keep those unwanted extra pounds at bay.
Want to know more about fun winter activities? Then, put your question here.
Yours truly for great health, mind and body,
Michelle, natural health advocate
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- Make Winter Exercise Your Remedy Of Choice
December 16 2010 09:38 pm | Fitness and Green Living and Health News and Natural Beauty and Weight Loss