Predawn Snowshoe

Feeling pudgy and lazy I am trying to get back into shape again after the last 6 months of letting myself go.  I had thought I’d be able to use the UPEI gym now that I am a student however only full time students have a gym membership included in their tuition and I’d have to pay a fee (a reasonable one) to use it.  Not being a fan of indoor exercise anyway I started thinking of alternatives.

This morning at 6:00am I got up, put on some thermals, sweater and pants, jacket, hat, boots and gloves and strapped on some snowshoes and set out for a long walk in the fields around the Shire.  I was accompanied by Rosie and the sweet sweet voice of my new musical obsession Ariana Gillis in my headphones.  40 minutes and 2.5 kilometers later I arrived back home my heart rate up, jacket open and feeling great.

The really nice thing about snow shoeing is that your route is pretty much whatever you want it to be. This boundless type of exercising appeals to me even more than my morning runs on the Mill Road did and is definitely something I want to continue year round, snow shoes and maybe x-country skis in the winter and trail/x-country running possibly paddling in the summer.

When I was a kid I remember one of the joys of being in the woods was getting off the farm/logging trails and just scrambling cross country in a straight(ish) line finding ways through around and over obstacles.  I’m sure it also is a more natural way to exercise with a full body component that jogging down a road could never match.  It speaks to me like rock climbing (also on my to do list) and tree climbing (which I miss!) do.  So here’s to a more natural year of activity and enjoying the woods and hills and fields all around me!