This is an article that was long time coming, and one I feel very strongly about. As you know, I HATE excuses. If you take pride in taking care of yourself then NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING should stop  you. If you come up with a reason, guess what… it’s an excuse!

I’ve been around the block my friend, and I’ve seen more than my fare share of people who have defied the odds and gotten right down and dirty to get the fitness results they want… and that is pretty inspiring.

Still… there are too many people out there that still bitch, so here is another way I will leave you no choice but to get off your ass and move!

What excuse am I harping on about? WINTER!

If you live in a sunny place such as California, Florida or my old home town… INDIA, then weather should already be a non-issue for you. And if you are whining and crying while living in such a place… GET A BACK BONE!

Moving on. So yeah, WINTER! Up where I live, we get a boat load of snow, and if we don’t get snow, we get raped with wind chills that will freeze you to the bone! So what to do?

Well, in simple terms,  you want to adapt! Here are a list of winter activities that are fun and burn some serious calories. Pick one, and get on with it.

Before You Start:

Now you can’t just dive into this, serious winter temperatures call for serious precaution. So first thing you want to do is layer up properly, this way even if you sweat (which you will), you don’t end up with a thin layer of ice on your skin!

The first layer should be a fabric that wicks away moisture (Under Armour type stuff). Then you should put on something that is warm (fleece type material). After this you can put on your heavy and water-resistant coat. Optionally, depending on how cold it is, you can wear one more layer OVER your fleece then put on the jacket.

As for pants, same thing goes.  Get some Under Armour long johns, then wear water resistant snow pants on top. You’re all set!

The next thing would be to warm up. Just trying “jogging” in 4 feet of snow… It won’t take you long before your heart rate shoots up and you’re ready for one of the activities listed below. Be smart about this.

SNOWSHOEING

Calories Burnt: 500-600 per hour

Muscles Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs

This might seem “lame” to a lot of people. I know I thought it was lame until I tried it. There are 2 reasons why I loved it so much. The first is that I went with a group, and it was a blast talking and walking and blazing through trails in the woods with trees that are covered in pretty white stuff (I’m talking about snow!). I could be a little brat (as always) and start pushing others into bushes, try and play tag, and participate in a whole bunch of other obnoxious activities.

The second, is that it burns so many more calories than I thought! If I had a choice between snowshoeing or running, I’d pick walking on the white stuff every time – hands down! And don’t forget, for those that are always hurtin’ because of the high impacts of running… Snowshoeing on the other hand is MUCH easier on your joints.

ICE HOCKEY

Calories Burnt: 560-620 per hour

Muscles Worked: Arms, Shoulders, Glutes, Hamstrings & Abs

Not much more to be said here for my country’s most popular sport. It fun, its challenging and it makes you really sore the next day. Also, there is nothing better than slamming your best bud into the boards. All in good fun, of course. And yes, girls can play this too, not everyone has to be all hard core about it, and best of all, you don’t really need an official ice rink. Safely find a pond where you can shovel off the snow and have some fun.

But please for god sakes, make sure it’s safe to do so. Find an expert, ask the locals, check with the authorities, do what you gota do to make sure your fun day on the ice doesn’t turn into a dip in the freezing waters.

CROSS COUNTRY SKIING

Calories Burnt: 565 – 650 per hour

Muscles Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs, Shoulders, Arms

Yes yes I know, this activity truly BLOWS going up hill, but so does running. The thing with cross country skiing, is that it has the potential to be the biggest calorie burner of the group. The reason is simple, you have to use your WHOLE BODY to gain momentum and produce movement, and that means working almost every major muscle group.

It takes some equipment, but Id just go to a ski resort and rent that stuff out. On top of that if you get a winter pass, its like having a gym membership. Forget treadmills, slide on snow in the fresh air baby!

Alternatively, you can do normal down-hill skiing, it also burns quite a lot of calories. But the times when you are riding up the chair lift isn’t really beneficial as far as “workouts” go. You do get a nice view though.

ICE SKATING

Calories Burnt: 420-500 per hour

Muscles Worked: Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves and the stability muscles in and around your ankles.

An oldie but goodie. Find a rink and just do hot laps varying your speed an intensity every 5 minutes. Better yet, grab a few friends and do races or play tag… Just make sure you don’t shove them so hard that they fall, and break their faces. In hockey that’s ok, since you have a helmet. Or better yet, go with your significant other… Ice skating is pretty romantic, and certainly beats a trip to the movies where you chow down on heart-stopping popcorn with melted lard on top. Yummy…

TOBOGGANING

Calories Burnt: About 500 per hour

Muscles Worked: Whole Body

I saved the best for last. Not because it’s the most challenging or calorie burning, but in my opinion, the most fun. Though, if you pick a heavy-ass toboggan, it can be challenging as well. There is no explanation needed for this, just don’t do what I did when I was little>> Find THE biggest hill to go down on… At all cost! Even if this big hill leads into on-coming traffic and if you don’t bail at the right time you will be splattered across the front grille of a Mack truck.

One of the best things to do is 3 sets of 10 reps. “Say Wha..?!” Bare with me. What you do is, slide down the hill then immediately get up and lug that shit back to the top and go again. That’s one rep, do this 10 times in a row, this is one set. Then chill out for a bit (no pun intended) and do it all over again. Hell yeah!

And that’s it!

…Oh wait, I actually have one last one. SNOW BALL  FIGHTS. Now I can’t exactly put a calorie meter on this one since some of you throw like little girls, so you might hit 100 calories per hour. Who knows. But if you make teams, build forts, run around and really fire up that throwing arm, I am sure 300-400 calories per hour shouldn’t be out of reach.

And don’t forget to check out Flawless Fitness, it’s got some serious nutrition tips that will help you recover from that hard check you received while trying to play hockey.

Now get out there and move! Happy Winter!

- FJ

FlawlessFitnessBook.com

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