Winter was never my favorite time of year. All I could ever think about was how cold I was, until my husband bought me a pair of snowshoes. I must admit I was not sure this was the sport for me. I have never been an outside person in any weather that was colder than short and t-shirt weather. My sweetie said let’s just give it a try and see how you like it. We started out slow going to the Hiawatha Trail. We strapped on our shoes and off we went. I was amazed at much fun it was. Not only did I get to spend some time with my husband, but we were getting healthier at the same time.

I must admit that I am actually starting to enjoy winter. I know it sounds odd to hear that from someone like me, but it is true. I cannot tell you what it has done for toning my arms and legs. My whole persona is starting to change. I guess what they say is true that muscle keeps you warmer, because I no longer shiver like dog pooping razor blades.

It took me a bit to hit those trails the first time, but since then I have been hooked. At first we would go on the weekends. We started out walking for 20 minutes or so. The times got longer and the laughs got louder. We spend the time rekindling our love for life on the open trails. Now we take hikes during the evenings. I look forward to coming home and grabbing my shoes and communing with nature.

Now it does not matter what life has to throw at me. I take so many more things in stride. I feel so much more relaxed. My energy level has increased and I feel great. We even got our two girls involved. Can you believe they actually enjoy spending time with the old folks! It is so nice to tell our friends that we are going snowshoeing with our kids. They think we are the hip parents now. I tell them to get some snowshoes for themselves and they can see what a difference it will make in your life.

We started to get together and have snowshoeing groups. We all meet at the trail on Saturday mornings. We spend the day laughing, sharing and building bonds that create memories that will last a lifetime. I actually think this is not only one of the best things we could have done for our family, but also one of the best things we could have done for our circle of friends. We kid each other on "how far we have come". There is a lot of truth to that. We have made leaps and bounds not only in our friendships but also in our physical and emotional health.

I always thought of snowshoeing as something the super athletic do. I have noticed that all types of people love this sport from the young to the spunky adults. I am so glad that I took that first walk with my new Snowshoes.