How existing in winter is actually cross-training

Winter is tough, especially the Canadian winter. It’s cold, it’s long and it’s snowy. There are certain tasks associated with the Canadian winter that seem really annoying until you consider that they’re exercise and could actually qualify as cross-training. Below are five examples of stuff we do in winter that kind of resembles hitting the gym.

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“Shoveling the driveway should be an activity on Strava.” – @KtLandwehr

— CITIUS MAG (@CitiusMag) January 13, 2019

Shoveling

Shoveling is most people’s least favourite winter activity, but does it change your attitude a bit if you consider it cross-training? In theory, shoveling a long driveway is multiple strength sessions in one. You work your back, arms, abs and even legs (standing) for hours while moving piles of fluffy white stuff. So if you shoveled the driveway today, congrats, it’s kind of like you hit the gym. 

Walking in the snow

If you’re the kind of person who opts out of shoveling, you’re still getting a workout in walking through the snow you’ve neglected to remove. Walking through snow is like running on sand or in water. It makes you really tired because it’s basically resistance training. 

Scraping your car

Runners are notoriously neglectful of their upper bodies. A good car cleaning can work your lats, biceps and triceps. Some tough ice and snow can double as arm day at the gym. 

Shivering 

Shivering burns calories. It’s been proven that being cold burns more calories than being warm. Time Magazine reported in 2018, “As long as you’re not overeating to make up for the extra energy your cold-exposed body is using up, you can expect to lose some weight in response to cold.” We’re not suggesting you freeze yourself, but a cold walk to the subway might burn a couple of extra calories. 

Slipping on ice

As long as you just slip and don’t fall, and icy sidewalk is a great way to activate your stabilizers. You’ve seen runners use sliders before to do strength exercises. Walking on a slippery sidewalk is essentially the same thing.