Burn More Calories in the Snow

If you're like a lot of people, just thinking about exercise is a big drag. And if you are trying to lose weight, you wish you liked to exercise because you know that burning more calories will help speed along the process. The key is to make burning calories fun!

Here are seven winter activities that can burn a lot of calories. You can enjoy the beautiful, sparkly snow, get some fresh air, and keep fit without having to drag yourself to the gym and be bored on the treadmill.

1) Downhill Skiing: 535 calories an hour. Seems like you're not doing any work and just along for the ride!

2) Cross Country Skiing: 700 calories an hour. Now this seems like a little more work until you get into the swing of it.

3) Shoveling Snow: 400 calories an hour. It's a necessary evil anyway--you might as well see the benefit of burning the fat while you're out there.

4) Walking in the Snow: 270 calories an hour. A little tougher than walking on flat ground--you'll feel it tomorrow!

5) Building a Snowman: Go ahead, have some fun with the kids and burn 250 calories an hour.

6) Sledding: 420 calories an hour--not if you're sitting on the sled the whole time, but that walking uphill really does it!

7) Ice Skating: Enjoy gliding along as you burn 300 calories an hour (more if you skate faster!)

Go ahead and take advantage of these winter activities while you can. For every additional 500 calories burned each day you can lose another pound each week! If you're trying to maintain your weight, this means you can eat an extra few hundred calories and enjoy knowing you've already burned them off!

Leave us a note with your favorite here. Personally, I just love to shovel the driveway :)