In case anyone was living under a rock this week, snow was covering much of New Jersey. Most specifically, where I live, in Gloucester Township, NJ: there was snow yesterday, a good 5-6 inches of it.
Okay. Hopefully, I haven’t put you to sleep just yet, just bear with me. You can get a good workout in the snow, in case you can’t make it to the gym or you just don’t have the urge to get another type of home workout in.
According to bodybuilding.com, “snow shoveling can burn up to 500 calories per hour”. I was amazed to read this part of the article because I never believed that all of those years that I had spent shoveling snow was helping to keep me in shape by burning calories. Let’s be honest, when it’s cold and snowy, many of us have a tendency to be “lazy” and possibly eat junk. So if you’re looking for a good, “lazy”, workout, and when I use the term “lazy” I am referring to something that you have to do. Almost everyone has to shovel snow, providing that you are able-bodied, and this is another disclaimer that the “bobdybuilding” article makes: “be sure to consult a physician before shoveling snow”.
Photo courtesy of: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oddharmonic/3299388506
In addition, the article points out “that helping shovel neighbors’ sidewalks or driveways will add up to more calories burned”. In my opinion, if you shovel snow, you can never lose because you will be getting a great workout and helping people who might not be able to help themselves (due to declining mobility or illness). The next time that it snows, perhaps you should think about shoveling the snow instead of paying the “neighborhood kid” twenty dollars to shovel your driveway.
Happy Winter!
Photo courtesy of: https://pixabay.com/en/snowman-holiday-happy-winter-xmas-1807416/
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