Alternative Exercise
While I do love winter, there are some things that make it a bit tedious sometimes… like the cold and flu that seems to be going around! I was suffering pretty hard with a chest cold most of early February and have now been taken down by a head cold! This is really putting a damper on my tune-up for the spring running season (not to mention the fantastic skiing we’ve been having lately).
On the positive side, there seems to be lots of “doctor approved” light exercise for me to do. I find one of the most difficult things about being sick is staying immobile enough to recover. My latest favourite “need the fresh air” substitute for running is shovelling.
Just this morning we had a major “roof avalanche” and I had the pleasure of shovelling our stairs (before and after photos attached). While it’s not running, there are some great benefits to vigorous shovelling:
– Done right, can provide an excellent glute and leg workout (lift from the knees, not the back).
– Similar to the above point, it can also provide a good bicep and shoulder strength session.
– You will likely be shovelling in a limited area – so you can blast some tunes and make it into a little dance party.
– If you are mildly ill, you can actually get your heart rate quite high and simulate an interval workout. (May I should not do that if I’m actually sick!)
Now the stairs, driveway, … and more… is looking pretty fresh. I hope I get better soon, ’cause I’m not wishing for more snow to shovel (I’d prefer to run or ski).
Magi Scallion
MBA, B.Comm H (Queen’s University)