"Go Outside and Blow Some Stink Off"

Growing up, especially during the winter months, it seemed like my mother had some sort of internal clock that knew exactly when my sisters and I had been in the house a little too long. All of a sudden her "timer" would go off and she would say, in her inimitable style, "Why don't you kids go outside and blow some stink off."

We all have excuses for not going outdoors. One, that many use, (especially in Syracuse, NY) is the weather. A few years ago, I reconnected, on-line, with an old work friend who lives in San Diego. She asked me what my winter activities were? I said, "My what?" She had to clarify - Do you ski? Ice skate? Snowshoe? I told her - not exactly. The extent of my "winter activities" were sitting on the couch, eating chips and watching TV. And I wondered how I got to my high of 371 pounds.

So last year I went cross country skiing and snowshoeing. I NOT ONLY SURVIVED but I had a lot of fun too! I loved snowshoeing so much that my husband and I got our own pairs for Christmas this year. You burn hundreds of calories an hour snowshoeing and all you have to do is walk!! The photo shows me, my husband Bob and 14 year old son, Vincent, snowshoeing (with a group of new friends) at Sunnycrest Park.

Here's a real shocker. Contrary to what many believe, you can still just plain walk in the winter. It isn't a forbidden activity (you won't fall and break a hip if you're careful.) The roads are so well maintained, in Syracuse, that the day after a snowstorm, the streets are black again and walking isn't a problem. I just bundle up in layers, add my headphones and off I go.

You have to DO SOMETHING outside this winter. It feels good to breathe in the cold air; feel alive and come back home smelling like the fresh outdoors.

Mom's do know best. It does the body good to blow some stink off!