Are your toes itchy for some training? Is surgery required to remove the remote from your right hand? Could you put a down payment on an oceanfront Florida condo with the cash from your bottle returns? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s time to get outside! And, yes, we know it is cold out there. This is when I usually wax poetic on the joy of winter walking. Fortunately, Janet Cawley has done this beautifully in her View from the Back column, so I’ll just remind you that no matter how cozy it feels on the couch, it is going to feel a thousand times cozier, and far more deserved, when you return home from a training walk. Click on over to the training schedule section of our website and review our suggestions below for winter layering, then sign up for one of our winter walking programs that will keep you inspired and in shape for the many excellent spring races that are (honestly) coming soon.

Did someone say MINUS 27? It’s been several years since we’ve faced seriously challenging winter weather but if the past few weeks have been any indication, it is very possible we will need to pull out the heavy artillery from our closets for January and February. If you are beginning winter training for the first time, here are some suggestions from veteran winter walkers who know there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.

1. Always wear fabric that moves sweat away from your skin. When purchasing new training clothes, look for a sales tag that features a drawing of the fabric with arrows and moisture drops showing how moisture is pulled away from the body. (Please note all WoW Power Walking® shirts and jackets are made from high quality material that wicks sweat away.) Wool and fleece are good at keeping your body warm when wet.
2. Layering these fabrics will provide additional warmth by creating air layers where warm air from your body is trapped. Layering works on hands and head too. Your final layer should provide protection against the wind. (Fleece is not good for this). In case you are wondering, there have been times when I have counted 3 or four layers on my legs and up to 6 layers on my upper body including short sleeve shirt, turtle neck, long-sleeve shirt, fleece vest, wind-proof jacket (the new WoW Power Walking® jacket features an inside pocket, two side pockets and extra reflective tape for dark nights), and down vest.
3. Watch for frost bite. Vaseline or cocoa butter on exposed skin can help. Any product that is water-based will freeze and encourage frostbite. Walk with a buddy and check each other for frost bite. If you are walking alone, stop on your route periodically and check in a mirror for white patches of frost-bite. Do not rub skin that has turned waxy and white.
4. There are several products that help your feet grip slippery ground surfaces such as ice and hard-packed snow. Our favorite is Yaktrax™ (available at most running stores and many pharmacies) because it can be easily pulled on and off your regular training shoes.
5. Have a complete set of dry clothes ready for the end of your training walk. It is easy to cool down dramatically within 5 or 10 minutes of finishing your walk.
6. Eyes need protection too. Look for sunglasses with the option to insert clear lenses for winter night walking. We know several walkers who wear their ski goggles for winter walking.
7. If you have trouble keeping your hands warm, try those nifty hot packs that skiers use for their mittens.

Nutrition Tip :: The wonders of oatmeal. Hot cooked oatmeal for a winter breakfast may be the yummiest and healthiest option for marathoners. Eating one cup of cooked regular oats you’ll treat your body to about 6 grams of protein, 25 grams of excellent low glycemic carbohydrates and almost no fat. Oats are also a valuable source of phosphorus, calcium, zinc, Vitamins B1, B2, and B, iron, and fibre. If you add ½ cup of warm skim milk to that, you’ll get another 4 grams of protein and a whopping 250 mg of calcium. Some healthy and tasty additions could be toasted almond slivers for high quality monounsaturated fat and ground flaxseed for a good source of Omega 3 fats. If you like things a little sweet, try a ¼ teaspoon of maple syrup, honey or dried raisins or cranberries.

Strength Tip :: Walking lunges may be our favorite strength friend but winter conditions can make it a risky move. Here’s an alternative that uses the ice as a tool. If you see an icy patch beside the road or on the sidewalk, plant one foot on a non-icy, stable surface beside the ice such as snowy grass. Your heel should be positioned to the ice so that you can place the toe of your other foot behind you on the ice. Squat down on the stable leg such that the foot behind on the ice can slide behind and away from you into a lunge position. Then straighten up on the front leg and repeat 12 to 20 times. Switch legs. This exercise is a great muscle challenge as well as a proprioception challenge. Remember that if you are outside exercising and you stop to perform a strength exercise, your body may cool down. Be sure to keep moving between strength exercises so that you stay warm.

Stretch Tip :: In class, our coaches often remind participants that stretching does not prevent injury. A proper warm up prevents injury. Stretching can improve performance around joints so that’s why, if we do stretch during class, it’s always once the muscles have been warmed after walking for 10 to 15 minutes or at the end of class. During very cold winter walks, stretching may be passed over altogether to ensure that participants warm up slowly and effectively at the beginning of the walk and to avoid getting cold at the end of a walk. If it is very cold outside and you are working on stretching specific muscle groups, we recommend stretching indoors after your walking workout.

P.S. Did you notice the little ® after WoW Power Walking? Yes, WoW Power Walking ® recently received its very own registered trademark. No longer a common ™ but a fully recognized and special ®.

View from the Back by Janet Cawley ::

...tree lined trails, snow squeaking, crunching, the occasional snap beneath booted feet

...a beaten down corn field, stalks golden and ragged, broken, each with hanging saffron arm

...cold on my face, a chilled mask

...hair-like needles on delicate weeds, dusted with fluff

...sun behind me, lighting snow machine trails, a rippling ahead

... glass patches, sparkling ice along the way

...waist high, burgundy willows bending toward the trail, bowing: in welcome?

...more willows huddled together in a low spot, a wondrous blazing sight

... sparrows, chirping in cedars, well hidden

...a sniff of that frayed cedar, delightfully pungent and sweet

...rabbit tracks, deer tracks, some bark eaten from the aspen

...a thorn berry bush, spikes brushed with snow, paired purple berries hanging

...shade and sunlight following the contours of a winding, covered creek

...surrounded, immersed, comforted by beauty


A resolution to experience more.

Thank You :: We’d like to thank the many people who took a few moments from an already busy December to help us by answering questions on our feedback form and submitting it to us. The feedback form is still available in the newsletter archive section of the website to fill out and submit. We welcome more comments. Any feedback submission is entirely anonymous and we look forward to hearing from you on a regular basis.

We were encouraged to discover that the overwhelming response was positive, especially from people who have taken other walking programs. We believe this is largely because of the excellent coaching WoW Power Walkers receive. Our coaches are not volunteers. All are certified fitness professionals or are in the process of being certified. It may be a part-time job but it’s a full-time commitment to excellence.

We did receive a smattering of constructive critiques and we appreciate those as much as the rave reviews. Some ideas which we will pursue include adding more change to the venues (similar to the peripatetic programs offered in Oakville during the summer) as well as continuing to add and change programs to keep participants challenged. We also hope to continue to expand classes in such a way that there will be more class options at all venues.

Words to walk and live by ::
If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish.
~ Charles Dickens.

WoW Power Walking® coaches are proud to wear New Balance shoes.

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