I had the pleasure of visiting the mineral spa pool in Moose Jaw (a city nearby) the other night and had a realization when I was outside in the very cold air, bathing in the very hot water. I remembered that up until a year or two ago I wanted to buy a hot tub so that I could get outside in winter and not be couped up for five months a year. The idea seems patently absurd to me now.
My former plan illustrates the frame of mind an obese person is in. Granted, many healthy people fear winter too and stay indoors. But I'm here to tell you how my attitude has fundamentally changed. Thin or fat, we should all be active, and if we live in cold climates like I do, the weather shouldn't be an excuse to be confined indoors like a caged animal all winter.
The turning point for me was on my wife's birthday, nearly one year ago. It was the coldest night of the year but I ventured into it and managed to stay warm. I've gone on about that night a lot, but it actually did change my life.
Today, I'm outside being active every day no matter what the weather. And I'm not in any discomfort when I'm doing it. It's making me want more winter, not less. I'm having fun while I'm experiencing the most active winter of my life since, maybe forever. Even as a kid in the 1970s I had my limits on going outside in cold weather. But I don't now, thanks to the knowledge of how to dress.
I dress in layers, but the items I can't live without are a balaclava that covers my whole mouth and nose (with a breathing screen), good gloves and good socks. Everything else is just layering whatever you have with a wind-stopping outer layer.
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