Work it – Play in the snow and work off that rich cup of cocoa!

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Work It

As we’ve all noticed by now, Father Winter is here. For those of you who don’t have to deal with an endless field of snow (ie — a snowy driveway), I hate your guts.

But after reading this, you, your sunglasses and tank tops may be hating mine.

Why, you ask? What could I possibly make you and your beautifully tanned skin jealous of me, Mrs. Powder CULLEN?

Well, because while you are lounging in your beach chairs, my friends, I am building biceps!

Yes, the only way to make shoveling a driveway tolerable is to think of it as a workout – and it really is! The average calories burn for a 150- lb person shoveling snow for 30 minutes is 205 calories. And for those of you who eloquently take out your aggression like me, slamming your shovel repeatedly into the slab of ice that was once your driveway, will whittle away 4 million calories. Of course then you’ll need a hot chocolate, so you see where my title comes into play… (does this post vaguely resemble If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?)

Below is a list of other winter activities and the calories you’ll burn after 30 minutes:

snowman

Are you a cold weather warrior or wimp? What are your favorite winter activities – or if you’re a wimp, how do you beat the cold all winter long?

12 Responses to “Work it – Play in the snow and work off that rich cup of cocoa!”

  1. Jordan @ Salt Sweat Sugar said:

    Yeah, there’s no flip flops and tank tops right now! And the only tan I get is from the tanning bed…

    I live in Jacksonville, FL and it’s 27 degrees right now!

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  2. Stacey Shipman said:

    I started snowshoeing a couple of years ago and love it. Definitely gets my heart rate up and it’s a nice winter alternative. I used to hibernate in winter…but now I bundle up and brave the elements…which is fun.

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  3. Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg said:

    Oy. I am a TOTAL cold weather wimp. Which is unfortunate because I live in Pennsylvania :-) I’m going to try to be braver this winter and get outside for exercise more…but we’ll see how often it happens :-)

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  4. Tammy @ Defining Wellness said:

    Hi Shannon! I will definitely let you know if I find some low fat recipes . . . I’m working on it! Please do the same. :) I do not like the winter at all (neither does my husband), but I try to look at the bright side by doing all the cozy indoor things that I do less of in the summer: browsing in the bookstore, going to the movies (a lot), renting TV shows on DVD, and cuddling with my pets. I get my workouts in at the gym (and find it’s easier to get myself to go when it isn’t warm out) and get lots of walking in when I go shopping at the mall. Always a bright side. :)

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  5. Heather @ The Joyful Kitchen said:

    i definitely don’t mind the cold as long as i’m dressed properly (which is a good thing since i live in colorado :)

    skiing is definitely the most fun, and sledding down huge hills are a close second…PLUS with sledding, you have to hike back up which is a great workout :)

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  6. K said:

    Shoveling snow is a KILLER work out! Too bad I don’t tend to do it that often ;)

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  7. Shelley said:

    haha great tips!! i love skiing :)

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  8. Good Taste. Healthy Me said:

    I HATE winter and living in New Hampshire is quite cold. I don’t really do any winter sports. I tried skiing with my bf a couple times and that is definitely a workout! It’s crazy how exhausted you are at the end of the day!

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  9. Whitney @ Lettuce Love said:

    Shoveling snow is an insane workout. Luckily, I live in an apartment and they take care of all of that :)

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  10. Lauren said:

    It’s surprisingly cold down here, but of course we have ZERO snow. I think I could handle it a lot better if I at least had something pretty to look at and play in.

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  11. Jenny said:

    this post is awesome! now if only I could get over my deep hatred for the cold.

    Posted on | Reply
  12. Kasey at thrifty little blog said:

    Good point! A lot of people skip workouts when they’re tired or feeling lazy, but you can’t skip out on shoveling that snow when you’re stuck in a driveway!

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