By Tim Taylor, Tubbs Ambassador
It doesn’t get any easier, no really! Snowshoeing is one of the most easily accessible winter sports getting you off the couch, out of the house, promotes health and wellbeing and fosters an appreciation for winter!
For starters here are a few facts:
- Non-technical winter sport
- If you can walk, you can snowshoe
- No expensive per outing fees (i.e., Lift tickets)
- Utilize local parks, golf courses, nature preserves, National & State Parks and Forests, even the neighborhood!
- Low cost investment compared to skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, trips to Mexico
- Compact gear for travel (i.e., No car top racks)
- Great group activity
- Coordinate a group outing for a winter picnic; thermos of favorite hot beverage, wine, cheese & crackers, backpack
And the benefits of sunshine and activity in Winter:
- Sunshine provides us with 90% of our vitamin D, which helps protect against disease and slows the ageing process.
- Exposure to UV rays helps release nitric oxide, a protein which slows the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
- Several studies have shown the antidepressant effect of vitamin D through sun exposure, leading to mood improvement.
- Going out for 15 minutes every day, preferably in the morning, helps shut off the body’s melatonin production, the hormone that makes you drowsy.
- A daily workout releases feel-good, de-stress brain chemicals, gives you a break from the daily grind and helps ease depression while boosting wellbeing.
Here are events that continue to draw new participants to snowshoeing year over year:
Winter picnics and a little football
Snowshoe Card Chase – pre-staged checkpoints, via map snowshoers pick up one card per checkpoint to build the best poker hand