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4 Snowshoeing Watch out hip flexors—this winter sport is for you. With each step you take snowshoeing, you’ll be working against the resistance from the snow to pull your foot up, working not only your hip flexors, but also your iliacus and psoas muscles in the hip, explains Westcott. “Because snowshoes are wider than normal shoes, your stance will naturally be a bit wider, so you’ll also be firing up your thighs a lot,” he says. “This is particularly a lower-body exercise that works the hips, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.” At a high intensity, you’ll likely burn 570 to 840 calories per hour. And even if you’re just walking, the snowshoes up the challenge, and can help you clock in at 300 to 450 cals an hour. 5 Snowboarding Since you’re not holding poles here, the main work you’re doing with your arms while snowboarding is holding them out to the sides. Still, you can burn 300 to 450 calories per hour shredding the gnar. Snowboarding is also great for working the lower body and core muscles. “Since shifting of weight is important with this sport, your core—especially the obliques—are used to rotate the torso and stabilize the lower body,” explains Tamir. “You’ll also be using your feet, glutes and hips in order to turn and cut to make your line down the mountain.” 6 Skiing It only takes one look at Lindsey Vonn to know skiers need to have strong legs. Skiing depends on your inner thighs, hips, and outer thighs to help move you the direction you want to go. And because your knees are bent when you’re on skis, your quads are constantly activated, explains Tamir. Plus, “feet are important and always moving when you’re skiing, but they get a lot of direction from the muscles in your shins and calves,” explains Wescott. “And with each 180-degree turn down the mountain, you’ll get tremendous work through your obliques and torso.” If you’re truly speeding downhill, you can burn as much as 450 to 670 calories per hour. 7 Snow-ga We’re not saying it’s the best idea to go out and do yoga in the freezing cold, but it does make for a great photo (just check #snowga on Instagram for proof!). And if you’re dressed appropriately, why not? “The activity that burns the most calories passively is shivering,” explains Westcott. “So you’d be burning extra calories just to keep warm, plus your body isn’t losing water sweating, so it actually makes sense.” A power yoga class can burn 226-335 calories per hour. And, depending on how intense a flow you’re doing, you’ll be working your entire body including the legs, core, and arms, back, and shoulders. These chilly classes are offered around the country, at places like Stowe Mountain Lodge in Vermont and Finger Lakes Yogascapes in New York. You can also check your local yoga studios for outdoor offerings in the winter. 8 Trail Running Your long outdoor runs don’t have to stop just because there’s a little snow on the ground. Running is a fantastic way to rev your heart any time of year—it torches 566 to 839 calories per hour. If you’re running in snowy conditions, just be sure to invest in some warmer running clothes (an insulated jacket, thermal leggings, etc.) and a pair of solid winter running shoes. You’ll want to look for a running shoe with features like GORE-TEX (for waterproofing), heat technology, and even spikes if you’re dealing with really snowy terrain. No matter what, make sure the bottom of your shoe offers some serious traction. Continued on next page Nutrition Quarterly · 2020 – Volume 1 15 What We’re Reading