Outfit for a Winter Adventure … in the Spring

One-half of a foot of snow means grab a snow shovel, even when Easter has ended and the calendar reads “Spring”, and move on outside to clear the way for an adventure!

The Coastal Ohio Trail is part of the nation’s Unsalted Great Lakes region and that translates to tundra. Anyone, especially those whose birth certificate states they’re from the Sunshine State, can be quite comfy in the cold as long as all the right gear has been splurged on. In fact, the arctic-like conditions provide the perfect polar backdrop for the fashion enthusiast about to venture into snow.

COLUMBIA BUGABOOT Touted by the makers that the insulated protection and supportive comfort will “have you looking forward to every snowy trail”, this is one marketing slogan that delivers with a product hike after hike. Now is the time to buy for Winter 2016-2017.

Priced right under $200 the UGG TALL CLASSIC BOOT slips over leggings and is a wardrobe staple on the Coastal Ohio Trail. One can’t venture into a Starbucks or Panera Bread on any given day and not spot a woman age twelve to forty wearing a pair over yoga pants.

These super silky FABLETICS SALAR LEGGINGS, shown in charcoal, are available in thirty four colors and are priced under twenty dollars. One can’t go wrong. Run out the door for fitness and the Uggs in these and later, or when the situation calls, just pull on snowboard/ski pants over top. Doesn’t matter if you’re at the ski lodge or your own driveway.

ROXY FLOWER BEANIE Heat moves out of your body from your head! Keep your melon stylishly covered by building a collection of ski caps by Roxy. The colors and patterns never go out of style.

COLUMBIA WATERPROOF SKI GLOVES These have an elastic strap around the wrist and a lovely layer of fleece stretching up onto the arm to keep snow from creeping in. Expect to pay around $30 at a sporting goods store.

VICTORIA’S SECRET’S PACKABLE PUFFER This ultra-lightweight jacket can be popped into a tiny pouch and tossed into a suitcase for easy travel. Plus comes in enough colors to keep any ensemble interesting.

NIKE ACG ALL MOUNTAIN GORTEX SNOWBOARD PANTS These pants have a two-layer Gortex shell fabric. Breathable and moveable the style will take anyone anywhere there’s snow. During the season they’re about $180 – $280 depending on where you buy.

FABLETICS DASH BRA On sale, online now! This ultra-comfy undergarment can be worn from the yoga studio to the slopes or vice versa. White is the only color left so hurry and order online! Price: $5.99

ACG LINER SNAPS This shows why those pants are worth every penny when hiking in 8″ of powdery white stuff! The inner liner pulls down with elastic over your boots and snaps into place, so snow isn’t going to chap your legs.

LL BEAN WOMEN’S PIMA COTTON TURTLENECK Made in over one dozen colors so residents can create a collection, this is unarguably “the world’s most comfortable turtleneck”. A favorite for decades. Not only is this garment made with grown in the USA Supima cotton just wash in cold water and the item will last season after season.

WEATHER RESISTANT PUPPY Labradors hail from Newfoundland and are designed with a weather resistant silky outer coat and a thick undercoat to keep them comfortable in winter conditions. Any dog that falls into the sporting or working breed will love to accompany its owner on long hikes. In fact, they make excellent outdoor exercising companions.

FIRE ENGINE RED LEASH AND COLLAR This set falls more into the “lunchbox” category versus luxury. The set is from the Tractor Supply Company a business founded seventy-eight years ago in North Dakota. They are leaders in livestock and pet products and this leash blazes against a white backdrop and is ultra sturdy. As the company touts, “the stuff you need out here”, this leash is a necessity for your furry friend’s safety.

There isn’t any strategy that thaws out residents in the nation’s Great Lakes Region more than a hot yoga session. Follow-up with a hot shower and sauna session and no one cares where the mercury lands on the thermometer.

That is, if you can make your way to the studio once the snow strikes. This time the flakes came in 1″ size adding up to 8″ in depth overnight and into the morning hours which stuck with wetness perfect for snowmen and stranding unsuspecting drivers, especially those who are partial to tropical islands.

Just making the way out of the garage and out of the driveway isn’t going to happen without first spending some vigorous time with a snow blower or snow shovel and incorporating some sweat.

This means replacing the Vinyasa Flow, mat and towel with a Toro dual auger snow blower, Carlisle 11″ ice shovel and all the gear to keep you comfortable so you can skip the studio sans the stress in the event of a well-predicted spring storm.

Snow shoveling burns three hundred to four hundred calories per hour depending on how much you weigh and how much muscle mass your figure already flaunts. Which means moving the white stuff manually so you can move on with your day is one sure fire way to fire up the metabolism. The outdoor movement reserved for northern climates incorporates all of the muscles in the back, arms, shoulder and legs. Most driveways take longer than sixty minutes. The more you move, the more you can indulge in marshmallows atop hot cocoa once you’re through and doesn’t everyone on the Coastal Ohio Trail just love to warm up to a cup of The Kroger Company’s Private Selection Cocoa when it’s cold.

Shoving the shovel aside for a snow blower still blows out about two hundred and fifty calories for a person weighing in at a buck fifty.

Now for the creme de la creme of a cold blast on the Coastal Ohio Trail in the spring: hiking. Oh what fun the event is when frolicking in all that’s frocked! Lace up your Columbia Bugaboot and head wherever the wonderment takes you on two well-insulated feet with an abominable snow pup in tow. Hikers will melt mega calories traipsing the back country in heavy footwear. The exercise takes more leg and heart work than walking. Talk about toning. This “wintry” activity incorporates the calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, obliques, abs, and the front and back of the thighs, plus glutes. Tack on another four hundred and fifty calories for the hour spent out wondering what exactly Old Man Winter is doing in the springtime on the Coastal Ohio Trail.

He’s supplying us with breathtaking views.

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All of this compares to about 585 calories burned in a sweaty session of Vinyasa Flow at your favorite studio.

Stay posted for more on Outfit for a Winter Adventure … in the Spring !