Let it snow!

I almost forgot about the exercise that is near and dear to my heart. Since we've moved to the south I thought I'd never be able to take part in it again. But, lo and behold it has snowed in Raleigh, North Carolina today. Enough to pile up and make driving near impossible on the neglected streets in our neighborhood.

I couldn't believe how much I had missed shoveling snow, but it truly was my saving grace in the winter when we were holed up in the house most of the time in Iowa.

Like Christmas morning, I donned my pitiful collection of winter weather gear (we didn't even bring gloves with us) and started project snow removal. When we left Iowa we graciously gave all our winter tools away to neighbors laughing as we did so. Well, the joke was on me as I performed the advanced level of this everyday workout. I made my way slowly through the snow covering the sidewalk leading to our front door with none other than a regular metal garden shovel. It actually worked great for the heavy ice and slush under the top layer, but you can imagine the type of inefficiencies this caused. After 30 minutes, I had only managed to clear our walk. All for the sake of getting a great set of arms, right?

Well, even I'm not that crazy, so I finally walked over to borrow a neighbors snow shovel. I was flying through the chore now with ease. After my 30 minutes of the advanced, the next 30 minutes was a breeze.

Here's how to make the most of it.

1. First, change how you think about shoveling snow. Instead of a horrible task that has to get done, think about the fabulous workout you're getting doing something that had to be done anyway.
2. Make sure you're using your legs and arms, NOT YOUR BACK!
3. Squat, scoop, lift and throw.

By the time you've finished your sidewalk, stoop and driveway, you've put in about an hour or more of a good leg, butt and arm workout.

So the next time it snows, beat your kids outside to "play."