How do you face the winter? The dark cold days that seem to never end. My natural urge is to hibernate until spring, just give me some dry firewood, a blanket and a good book. But I know what’s good for me and I force myself to go out into the cold. Once I’m bundled up (that means long underwear) I head out to enjoy the weather thought the eyes of my dog. Malcolm doesn’t mind if it’s cold, wet, muddy, or snowy he just loves to be outside walking with me. He never seems to be bored by seeing the same old dull trees and bushes. His joy knows no bounds when it comes to sniffing the scenery and the yellow snow. I might have to force myself out the door but once there I take a tip from the dog and just enjoy the my few moments of fresh air and nature. I’m not in a rush to get somewhere, I’m not running a race, I’m just enjoying a walk. Since I’m not trying to log on my miles (I like the treadmill in the winter for that) I can enjoy 20 minutes of just being outside without any pressure to “get my heart rate up” or “increase my pace”. Who knows, maybe a little of that Vit D gets through the clouds that we always have here in Michigan in the winter.

Start your new year off right with a stretching class