snowboarding

I'm freezing, literally. In the last few weeks, the temperature dropped at least 10 degrees — a chilly reminder that Winter is only a few weeks away. Under the circumstances it's easy to want to bring workouts indoors, but there's a lot of fitness fun to be had, even in the chill of Winter. Here are my favorite ways to warm up and burn calories this season.

1. Glide across the ice — Lace up your skates for a session at the nearest ice rink or frozen over pond. An hour of ice skating will burn 414 calories.
2. Get on board and catch some air — You don't have to be Gretchen Bleiler to get the benefits of snowboarding. For every hour you spend on the slopes, you'll burn upwards of 250 calories.
3. Strap on some snowshoes — Whether it's a walk, run, or afternoon hike, snowshoeing is a major workout; in one hour, you'll burn over 400 calories.
4. Head to the mountains for a ski session — Nothing says Winter like some hot cocoa at the lodge after skiing. And since a couple hours of skiing burns 827 calories, you can easily go for seconds of hot cocoa.
5. You have to go up to get down — Sledding may seem effortless as you're whizzing down the hill, but getting back up it will work your backside. Spending 30 minutes sledding will burn 198 calories.

Calorie burn based on a 130-pound woman that's 5'5". Calculate a more accurate burn stat for your weight and height with our Calorie Burn tool.

Source: Flickr user stevendepolo

Jessica Biel isn't lying when she says that she's most at home in the mountains. During an appearance on David Letterman last night, the A-Team star shared that her latest snowboarding trip came close to turning into an episode of Man vs. Wild — Jessica even contemplated building a snow cave! The actress — who has been snowboarding since she was a kid — describes herself as a "chill kind of groove rider." But after seeing this interview and knowing she trekked up Mount Kilimanjaro, I'm thinking she has a bit of an extreme sports gal inside of her.

Now that Spring is here I've been riding my bike a lot more, as in almost every day. Wanting an upgrade from the dorky bike helmet I've been sporting for years, I decided to treat myself and splurge on something new. I wanted something stylish (well, as stylish as a bike helmet can be), functional, and durable. I ended up walking out of the store with a Bern Muse helmet ($64) and couldn't be happier.

To see what I think of this helmet, read more

While most of us can't shred on the halfpipe like Olympic medalists Torah Bright and Gretchen Bleiler, we might as well look good trying! Both ladies have teamed up with major activewear brands — Torah with Roxy, Gretchen with Oakley — to design their own lines of stylish, functional outerwear. Check out both collections here and then tell us whose clothes you'd rather barrel down the mountain in.

For photos of Gretchen Bleiler's collection, just read more

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White is looking very rock and roll on the latest cover of Rolling Stone — shirtless, tight jeans, and combat boots. He's also in mid-scream and channeling his best Jimi Hendrix: with his snowboard on fire, it's like the Monterey Pop Festival of '67 all over again. Given his signature 'do, it's no surprise that Shaun is a big rock fan. Before dropping in to the halfpipe, he says that he's listening to Jimi Hendrix, Guns N’ Roses, or Led Zeppelin. Rocking out, it seems, has made him a better rider: “Getting into music has changed my personality and my way of doing things. I’m far more open now.”

The issue hits newsstands this Friday — until then, check out some of the highlights here:

On being afraid of going big: "I got really comfortable with being in the air when I was really young. My parents bought a trampoline so instantly the rule was we weren't allowed to do flips on the trampoline. The first day we assembled it my dad did a back flip, so the rules were shattered by my own parents. I ended up getting so comfortable doing flips and stuff like that, I had no real fear of heights anymore."

On seeing snowboard evolve: "As far as the sport goes, it's always changing and part of my greatest accomplishment is to be consistent and at the top level in a sport that's always changing. A lot of times I am the one that's doing a lot of that — pushing tricks and doing better runs. With these new double cork tricks — the multiple flips and one spin — it's just opened this whole new door of possibilities and different moves so the sport is gonna get out of control pretty soon with all sorts of new stuff."

To read more highlights and see pics from the magazine, read more

One thing that may have catapulted snowboarder Hannah Teter onto the Olympic podium for the second time in her career is her diet. Hannah — who scored a silver in the women's halfpipe — tells People that she credits turning vegetarian for making her a better athlete: "I started that [a vegetarian diet] last year and feel stronger mentally and physically, and springier."

Even though Teter has given up meat, she still gets plenty of protein. For breakfast, the snowboarding star has a power smoothie; dinner is often a veggie stir-fry with a side of quinoa. Quinoa is a great replacement for white rice and a staple among many vegetarians I know because it's exploding with protein and fiber. Though not a raw foodie, Hannah does admit to not cooking her food too long,"because you lose what's good in the food."

Besides a responsible diet, Hannah is also doing her part to live eco-consciously. And while I do my best to recycle, reuse, and reclaim, Hannah's taking it a step further by moving into a yurt on a parent's property in Vermont. (A yurt is sort of like a tent, except stronger and more weatherproof. It's portable and doesn't rely on a ton of materials for its construction.) Living green is not foreign to Hannah — her dad produces maple syrup on the family's property, and her mother keeps a huge garden and also tends fruit trees. If all goes as planned, Hannah hopes to be living off the grid by relying only on solar and wind power.