Being a California native, I did not receive any training for what the four seasons are like, let alone winter. Since my family and I relocated, we now know what the rest of the country has been experiencing, and we are doing so with a teenager in the house. (Somehow the “Psycho” theme song keeps running through my head.) I’ve always been an active person, but I did not grow up with video games, instant messaging and video chat, either. To make winter a healthy experience and not one that consists of larger indentations on the couch, I get out and get active with my teenage daughter. Although she insists that dropping her off at the mall counts (you have to walk, duh), I beg to differ.
1. Laps at the indoor pool – Neither my daughter nor I are particularly good swimmers, but in the summer, we both love to hang out at the pool. Last summer, we got into the routine of doing laps using a kickboard, and we continue this activity at the indoor pool. We first hold the kickboard and use our legs to get to the other side. Then, we go back by putting the board under our chest, keeping our legs straight and moving by using our arms only. At first, we would regularly swallow some water, but before we knew it, we were graceful and getting in some pretty good exercise.
2. Tennis – We live in an area that gets only occasional snow. It is still cold here, but that doesn’t stop us from hitting the tennis ball. We wear runner’s leggings, a long sleeve shirt and a jacket. Before long, we warm up by chasing after and hitting the tennis ball. If your teen is a beginner, you can bring out a bucket of balls and feed balls directly to her.
3. Walking the dogs – The dogs need walking, whether it’s cold out or not. When we dress right, we can enjoy our two-mile outings with our best friends. Sometimes, we drive to local hiking areas for a good uphill workout.
4. Wii – This kind of video game is acceptable. We box, ski, play tennis, bowl and run cross-country, all in the comfort of our basement.
5. Ice Skating – Although our local rink is open year-round, the only time it seems fun is during the winter. After a couple of hours of skating around, we really enjoy the hot chocolate that inevitably follows.
6. Cooking – While not exactly a sport, cooking is keeping my daughter active. She takes an interest in it, especially in baking, so who am I to nitpick that cooking isn’t exactly active? It’s better than being glued to the laptop screen, and it’s a good bonding experience.
7. Volunteering – As many communities do, ours has a local food bank that is always looking for help. We help sort and pack boxes of food. My daughter learns about life outside her suburban world, and she gets activity by lifting boxes, sorting food and by standing for long periods.
8. Shoveling Snow – On the rare occasions when it does snow here, my daughter will get out with her dad (I beg off on this one) and shovel the driveway.
9. Hitting the gym – We start with the elliptical machine to get our heart rate up and then do about 30 minutes of weight training.
10. The Mall – I finally acquiesce and take my daughter to the mall. But we never use the elevator or escalator. We power walk up and down the stairs.
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