I love winter. Always have. It’s a requirement too if you live in Minnesota. What’s that saying? Minnesota has nine months of winter and three months of tough sledding. That’s about it. Winter has arrived early this year. Already we have a foot of snow on the ground. Warm up the Tom and Jerry’s, put on your mukluks, it’s going to be a long winter.

It’s not the worst of things though. My cardio is still outside, but has taken different forms. A typical regime of exercise for me would be weight training, mixed with brisk walking. Winter, I’m still doing the weight training bit, but the brisk walking is replaced by cross country skiing, shoveling snow, and snow shoeing now and again. Let’s compare the two. For 30 minutes of walking, I’ll burn approximately 167 calories. If I’m in winter mode, the same amount of time burns 268, 224, and 249 calories respectively. Not bad for a time that I’ve identified as my weak time in terms of eating habits.

The winter activities have other advantages. The workouts are much more intense all the way around. Pick up the skis and see how your heart races. With shoveling, you’re at home. No travel on treacherous roads. Snowshoeing and you’re in a quiet place in the woods, far from the crowds–and snowmobiles. Nothing personal, folks, but I wait patiently for the time of year when I can enjoy the silence that only winter offers without the buzz and stink of the sleds.

All said, winter is a good time. No excuse to pack on the pounds. They are opportunities for burning twice the amount of calories!