I shared a picture of my mother and me walking our dogs in a snow storm the other day and a friend commented, “You love winter so much lol.” (Okay, it wasn’t just any friend. It was one you know, the blog’s Cate.)
I’d also been sharing pictures of me riding to work in the snow.
And this week, I’ve been snowshoeing and winter hot tubbing.
The thing is I don’t think of myself as someone who loves winter. Last year I was happy to skip it entirely and spend the coldest, snowiest two months in New Zealand.
And yet, there are some things about our winter weather that definitely make me smile.
😊 I love clear sunny days with blue skies and bright white snow.
😊 I love how the cold encourages movement. There’s no temptation to stand around. I once complained about being cold riding to work and one of the very serious cyclists in my department said I wasn’t working hard enough. I couldn’t believe he said that, and yet now, I think about how right he is. Winter exercise is all about move it, move it!
😊 Increasingly, it’s our summer weather that scares me. It’s often too hot to ride bikes and we have hot, humid stretches that just aren’t suiatble for very much in the way of outdoor exercise. Swimming yes, but cycling now. Add to that smoke from the now common forest fires north and west of us, and summer no longer feels like the favorite season I used to know and love.
😊 I think myself as someone who is not that body conscious and who doesn’t worry too much about the way I look, and yet winter layers for outdoor exercise are cosy and comforting.
😊 Cold weather exercise in the snow also appeals to the Canadian in me. Snow shoeing is part of our national identity. I feel very Canadian outside in the snow and I like that.
See past posts
Playing in the snow! Sam makes peace with winter
Sam is sad about missing winter
Twelve reasons why Sam loves biking in the wind, the rain, and the cold
