Jan 17, 2012

Shovelling in Cold Weather

In the interest of science (and fun, of all things), my 8-year-old son and I decided we'd go out tonight in -30 Celsius temperatures and do some recreational shovelling. I used it as my exercise of the day.

Shovelling snow as cross-training? Why not?  I came in all sweaty so I must have accomplished something. Last year I'd fear having a heart attack while shovelling. No so now.

It was another chapter in my fight to tame my winter cold weather fears and misconceptions. I dressed warm (something that's easy to learn with trial and error--layers make it easier) and I didn't feel cold. Instead of breathing stale air inside the house, I lived a little, got a couple tiny icicles on my eyelashes and felt like a hundred bucks. I got out there with my boy and breathed in some fresh winter air and moved my body a little to prove to myself once again that I wasn't dead.

An added side-effect is that my walk and driveway are clear.

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And now a video on how to dress in layers. It's good advice if you're running, shovelling your walk, or going to a football game in November. Although he's American, I can vouch that this stuff works in the coldest weather even here in Canada.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eC5toC0vms

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