Forget Pilates, Go Shovel the Snow

In honor of today's weather I will share this: did you know that shoveling snow at a moderate pace burns approximately 400 - 600 calories per hour? Doing some simple math, I'm up to ~1000 calories and I have at least ~1000 more that I'll burn by the end of the night.

All of this is to say, it's snowing here.

And now it's time for another confession. I enjoy shoveling the snow, even on the occasions when I know it's a slightly futile act because there is just more snow coming. I do not like using the snow blower that belongs to my father-in-law because a: it's a beast of a thing that could clear a parking lot, and b: it doesn't do a very good job. It is, I must admit, great for clearing the gravel private road to our house, but for the paved driveway, it kind of sucks. If there is a "c:" it would be because I'm afraid I'll break it.

I like shoveling snow because, while a bid mindless and repetitive, you can actually see your progress as you work literally down to the last shovel width you just cleared. Unlike, say, being able to see your progress at the gym. I like it because it is good exercise, as mentioned above, and I like it because it gives me an excuse to get outside. I like it best when the air is cold, and the snow is thick enough to dampen all sound. I even like the scarping sound the shovel makes as it runs along the pavement.

And that brings me to yet another confession. Sitting for long periods of time makes me unhappy. As much as I will complain when I do not get time to sit and relax, and as much as I am aggravated when common household chores are ALWAYS left to me, I am my father's son, and I get cranky when I'm stuck indoors, inactive.

To me, experiencing the cold and inclement weather, feeling the chill on your skin, the tightness of your bronchioles and sinuses as you breath, and even the ache in your fingers and toes, is part of being really alive. I will harp on this, sometimes eloquently and sometimes not, until I no longer have the ability to speak: it does not do to hide indoors until warmer weather returns.

Or as my father would put it, "yeah, its' cold. So?"