Weight-Shedding Winter Workouts

40 minutes = 320 calories^[1]

Who said exercise can't be fun? Well, hauling the toboggan up the hill might not be, but whooping out loud all the way down can let off a whole lot of winter steam.

For that thirty seconds of screaming fun you have to trek uphill through the snow dragging a toboggan behind you - it's certainly an invigorating way to raise your heart rate level, give your legs a serious workout, break a sweat, and burn some calories. If you add a child to the load, the muscular workout for your arms, shoulders and legs will at least ensure you have a good night's sleep! If tobogganing isn't your thing, try building a snowman with the kids or throwing a few snowballs around - these playful activities will also get your heart rate up, though not as much.

To make sure your tobogganing experiences don't turn into "wreck-reation", follow these safety tips:

• Wait until the ground is covered with a thick layer of soft snow and be wary of concealed logs, rocks or chunks of ice.
  
  
• Make sure the hill isn't too icy or steep. An icy hill makes the toboggan go much faster; you don't want to get out of control.
  
  
• About half of all tobogganing injuries are head injuries, so wear a helmet.

30 mins = 200 calories

Next time the snow hits the driveway, don't despair - think of the calories you can burn shoveling it out of the way! Thirty minutes of this activity and you'll clear away 200 calories along with the snow. That's about the same as what you would burn jogging for twenty-five minutes. Stacking firewood is another "useful" exercise, burning 275 calories for forty minutes (mind your back, though).

Shoveling snow is good for strength building. It combines weight lifting, isometric lifting (in which the leg muscles contract without movement at the joint) and dynamic muscular work. However, the downside of this type of upper-body exercise is that it can put unwanted stress on the cardiovascular system and cause blood pressure to rise significantly, increasing the risk of heart attack. Therefore, it's best avoided if you have a weak heart.

Back injury is also a risk when shoveling snow. Follow these guidelines to keep your body safe:

• Warm up by walking around the house or taking a hot shower.
  
  
• When you grip the shovel, make sure your hands are at least 12 inches apart. This will increase your leverage and reduce strain on your body.
  
  
• Lift the snow properly. Squat with your legs apart, knees bent and back straight. Lift with your legs. Do not bend at the waist.
  
  
• Step in the direction in which you're throwing the snow to prevent your lower back from twisting.
  
  
• Take frequent breaks. Stand up straight and walk around periodically to extend your lower back.

40 minutes = 275 calories

Remember romantic afternoons skating around the ice rink with your high-school beau? (Or maybe skating around after your would-be beau). If you didn't fall down too often, you would have burned yourself around 400 calories per hour while on the ice.

As well as helping you burn calories, skating is also a great exercise for improving blood circulation, muscle tone, posture, coordination, stamina and flexibility. And it's actually pretty relaxing - even therapeutic; the smooth slide of skates over ice loosens up the mind as well as the body.

If you've never tried ice skating before, or need a refresher course, it's a good idea to get a few lessons. This will also help you maximize the exercise benefits of skating, and avoid any bad techniques. In the meantime, keep these pointers in mind:

• Warm up and stretch all major muscle groups of the legs to increase flexibility and minimize injury. Do the same after you've finished skating.
  
• Wear warm, loose and comfortable clothing. Make sure you can move easily without losing body heat. Keep fingers and toes warm and dry with synthetic or wool socks and gloves.
• Ensure proper ankle support by wearing close-fitting skates that are at least a half size smaller than your regular shoes.

40 minutes = 180 calories (moderate pace)

If you don't like being outside in the bracing temperatures of mid-winter, snow and ice activities aren't likely to inspire you. Thank Jack Frost for malls!

For those of you who haven't heard of it, mall walking is not strolling around the mall, cup of Starbucks in one hand, chocolate muffin in the other, carrying out the next attack on your credit card. Mall walking involves a mall arranging to open its doors early for walkers to pace the byways, usually in a group, before the shops open. It's practically an official sport - there are clubs, t-shirts, mileage rewards, health check-ups, even guest speakers for this winter workout! It's a great way to exercise in winter without freezing your feet off. Not to mention the discount incentives the stores often provide for mall-walking club members.

Walking is without doubt one of the best forms of overall exercise for your body. Walking at a moderate-to-fast pace increases heart rate, builds muscular strength and helps with relaxation. Contact your local mall to see if they run a mall-walking program.

90-minute class = 400-500 calories

Bending your body at odd angles in a room heated to about 110°F is one way to warm up on a cold winter's day! Also known as Bikram Yoga, hot yoga was started in India by the yogi Bikram Choudhury of Calcutta. Bikram schools have now been established across the world.

A 90-minute Bikram yoga class burns approximately 400-500 calories. In contrast to the traditional yoga classes, the heat of hot yoga loosens muscles and increases the amount of calories burned during a standard yoga session of the same length. The heat also helps the entire body to relax, leading to a deeper stretch and helping to avoid injuries. Practitioners of hot yoga claim that regular practice will improve muscle tone, normalize weight, and help you enjoy vibrant good health and well-being.