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Expert Q&A

	By Sharon Knecht Personal Trainer

We love to play outdoors. Do you have any ideas to boost our fun and fitness this winter?

The following calorie-busting activities will bring a whole new meaning to playing in the snow. Not only will these winter activities fire up the metabolism, but they will help work those core muscles to improve your balance and agility.

Surf the Snow: Sledding, tubing and tobogganing will work your core muscles as you fire down the hills, but when you're going up the hills run after run, you'll be working your butt and leg muscles and your cardiovascular system. As a warm-up, the family should walk a half a mile to a nearby hill. Thirty minutes will fly by, and you will have met your exercise goal for the day.

Snow Shoveling: This can be a hefty workout, and it's one of those needs-to-be-done jobs that you and your family can do together. You can get this chore done and experience family bonding at the same time.

Lifting snow is like picking up heavy weights: It works the abs, back, biceps, shoulders and legs. It's important to ease into it; make sure you and the kids stretch, warm up and cool down. And remember that form is important: Bend your knees, and make sure you keep your back neutral (a slight arch in the low back) while lifting.

Winter Walking: Walking is an underrated, easily accessible winter wonder. Rediscover the joy of this simple pleasure with your family. A family walk will engage your bodies and your minds, revitalize your spirits and deepen your connection. Walking stimulates your metabolism and is great for shaping the legs, especially when you're stepping into deeper snow. Part of the fun and novelty of a winter walk is enjoying the change of season and scenery. City, county, state and national parks often have marked walking/nature trails. Even if the trails are snow covered, passing through woods on a winter's day rejuvenates the spirit.

Snowshoe: Snowshoeing is easy: It's a winter sport that allows your children to just step out into the snow and be naturally proficient. If they can walk without teetering, they can snowshoe with you. Think of snowshoeing as the winter combination of walking and hiking. Snowshoeing burns almost twice the number of calories as walking, and the joy of walking on untouched snow is enough to raise anyone's spirits.

Start with a 30-minute outing and increase to an hour for a great workout. Pulling a plastic sled along is an option in case the tykes get tired and Mom and Dad still want to press on. Snowshoeing is also a low-cost winter activity – no lift tickets are required and rentals are only $8 to $15 a day.

Winter Circuits: Creating obstacle courses with six to 10 stations is fun and can be a great workout for all the muscles and the cardiovascular system. Activities can include making snow angels (working those inner and outer thighs and the shoulder and back muscles) and jumping over fallen twigs with both feet and one foot. (This is a great activity that really kicks up the cardio and works the legs, butt and core muscles.)

Include a snowball shuffle station in your circuit where you transfer snowballs from one tree to the next. Sprinting back and forth the whole time really fires up the metabolism. You can even time each participant and reward who can do the stations faster with a small prize. Improvement and effort also can be rewarded.

Skating: Skating is a great family activity. It's an excellent cardiovascular workout and can burn 200 to 400 calories per 30 minutes. It not only works the lower body muscles but also your core and those tiny stabilizing muscles that are rarely worked.

Skating incorporates balance into your workout. As you and your kids master the sport, make it more challenging by holding contests as to who can hold the longest glide on one foot. Another plus is that skating can be enjoyed outdoors or indoors if the weather is just too frigid.

Skiing and Snowboarding: For the sports-minded family, skiing, both downhill and cross-country, and snowboarding are good choices. These sports are not only fun, but they're great activities to build up your endurance system and core, stabilize muscles and hone your agility.

Winter sports are an adventure in movement, and taking some of your workouts inside with the family can offer you the perfect opportunity to design a sport-specific workout that can reflect those movements. You can incorporate the ABC drills—Agility, Balance and Core drills translate winter activity skills like skiing and skating movements into dry-land conditioning.

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