FitSugar

How to Dress For Winter Running

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:30:00 -0800

Die-hard runners keep running even when temperatures plummet and there's snow and ice on the ground. In order to exercise outdoors in the freezing cold, you've got to dress properly so you stay protected from the chilling wind but also dry and comfortable when you begin to sweat. Here's a basic list of how to layer up before a Winter run.

	Above 30°F	Below 30°F
Feet	Sneakers Thin wool socks	Sneakers Slightly thicker wool socks Gaiters to cover your ankles and sneaks and protect them from wind and snow. Yaktrax or another brand of attachable traction devices that go on the bottom of your shoe and prevent you from slipping on ice.

Now that we have covered your feet, to see how to cover the rest of your body read more

	Above 30° F	Below 30° F
Legs	Running tights	Running tights or Capilene pants Wind pants
Torso	Sports bra Long-sleeve Capilene baselayer Zip-up fleece	Sports bra Long-sleeve Capilene baselayer Fleece jacket or soft shell Waterproof windbreaker
Hands	Thin fleece mittens or glove liners	Fleece-lined waterproof mittens or gloves
Head	Ear band or lightweight hat Sunscreen Sunglasses (decrease glare and prevents snow in the eyes).	Smartwool hat (will wick sweat away from your head) Neck gaitor Sunscreen Sunglasses

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On The Surface of Things: Where to Run

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:15:00 -0700

Cool Running, the web site that brought you the ever popular Couch to 5K running program, has rated running surfaces. Why? In an attempt to help keep runners free of injuries - that's why. Running on rock hard surfaces like concrete, like sidewalks, is hard on the body. To protect your joints you want to look for surfaces that have shock absorbing qualities for the majority of your runs. Also, you should try to be consistent with your surface choice, an abrupt switch can lead to injuries.

Here are the surfaces listed in order of best to worst. The number to the right indicates their "grade" with 10 being the best and 1 being just plain awful:

Grass 9.5
Wood chips 9
Dirt 8
Cinder track 7.5
Track 7
Treadmill 6.5
Asphalt 6
Sand 4
Snow 2.5
Concrete 1

If, after reading the list, you decide to move your runs to asphalt, aka the street - BE CAREFUL. Run defensively! Run towards on coming traffic so you can see what is coming at you. Don't listen to music (or at least keep the volume low enough that you can hear the environment around you). Wear bright colors too so you are easily seen.

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Kitewing: A Sport For All Seasons

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:35:00 -0700

Snow may be long gone soon, but there are still some variations on snow play you all might be interested in. Kitewing, or "the wing" for short, gives you the wings to fly. Check it out. It's like windsurfing, but you can use it with skis, snowboards, ice skates, or in-line skates - so you can use it when all the snow has melted. All you need is some wind and a big open space to soar.

Most riders learn to use the wing within 30 minutes. You can glide along gently, but are capable of hitting speeds of up to 62 mph. You can also use the power of the wind to help you jump and hit heights of up to 15 ft high and 120 feet long.

What's great about this sport is that all you need is you, the kitewing, something on your feet, and the wind of course. That's it. You don't need any assistance to get you going. Plus, it's easy to assemble, disassemble, and transport (once broken down, it's about the size of a ski bag).

Fit's Tips: If you're interested in purchasing one, you can find a dealer near you on their website. Or check Tahoe Demo Center. They have the Kitewing on sale for $1,99.99. Or you can check out Super Dairy Boy website for cheaper models that are between $809.99 - 1.999.99.

Ice-Ice Surfing

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:40:00 -0800

Ice surfing, also called Ice Sailing or Snofering, is a lot like windsurfing, but you ride ice instead of waves. It's a hybrid sport mixing the speed of snowboarding with the agility and power of wind surfing.

The board is similar to a skateboard, with ice blades in place of wheels. You're propelled across the ice with a windsurfing sail, and you steer with your feet.

What makes Ice Surfing so much fun is the amazing play between the sail and the wind. The continual and direct balance between your body weight and the pull on the sail induces a tremendous sensation of speed and motion.

If winter is a bitter and miserable time for you, you've got to get out and embrace it. There are so many fun and incredible things to do on snow and ice, and this just might be the thing that gets you hot for winter.

If you're in the Ontario, Canada area any time soon, you can take a lesson on Lake Simoce. It's one of the windiest lakes in the area, and it's cold enough for the lake to be frozen 1-3 feet thick.

No One Likes Wet Boots

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 02:00:00 -0800

After a day of playing out in the snow, you're bound to come in soggy from the snow. And no one wants to slip on wet boots or gloves the next day.

The solution? The Winter Gear Dryer from Frontgate.

Use it to dry your boots, hats, mittens, gloves, socks, or helmet. It even includes boot extensions for knee-high boots. Now your gear will be dry and ready for you to use the next day. Not to mention that getting rid of the moisture will keep your boots from smelling.

You can even use it to warm up your gear. How nice would it be to slip on a pair of toasty warm boots and mittens before heading out into the bitter cold?

If you live in a place where it rains or snows in the winter, $94.50 seems like a small price to pay.

Skiing Defined

FitSugar — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 04:04:17 -0800

There are tons of ways to get from the top of a snowy mountain to the bottom. Here are all of the different types of skiing so you can get them straight, and know which one might be right for your personality.

Alpine or Downhill skiing: This requires you to take a chairlift to the top of the mountain, and then you ski down. This type of skiing has your foot inside a tight boot, that's completely binded to your ski - gravity and the slippery snow allow you to go super fast. Can get expensive with all the equipment and having to buy lift tickets or a season's pass.

Cross-Country skiing/Nordic skiing: This is much more physically demanding because you're doing all the work. You don't need a chairlift because you're mostly using trails in the woods, and it's cheaper too because you don't have to buy lift tickets. The boot is soft, and your heel is not attached to the ski. The skis are lightweight, and thinner than downhill skis.

To find out the rest, read more

Telemark Skiing: This type of skiing is sort of a combination of the first two. You're going downhill, but your heel is free. You're able to bend your knees, and move more fluidly, kind of like jogging. It's focused around the Telemark turn, which allows you great control.

Alpine Touring/Randonnée: It's pretty much the same as regular alpine skiing. But the heels of the bindings release, and you can attach straps to your skis called skins, so you can hike up a mountain. Then your heels can click back in so you can ski down the mountain. It's for hardcore skiers who like to hike to where they want to ski.

Heliskiing: Just alpine skiing, but instead of taking a chairlift, a helicopter brings you to the top of very tall mountains.

All are different from each other, but now you can figure out which one is right for you.

Snowlerblades?

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0800

Love your Rollerblades in the summer? Now you can convert your inline skates to snowlerblades. Skate Sliders are skiing blades you attach to your Rollerblade boots, so they won't just sit in the closet all winter collecting dust.

This German company offers them for 49.90 Euro, or about $65.00.

This probably would only work on really packed down snow. And as soon as you gain any speed, they'll be harder to control. You see, there's a reason that skis are so long - they help you to stay balanced and stable at high speeds. These Skate Sliders could be a disaster for beginners.

Check out this video - these guys look like they're ice skating down the mountain.

Noboarding: I Say Yes to the No, bindings that is

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:30:00 -0800

If you are a surfer in your heart and soul, nothing can compare to the freedom of gliding over ocean waves, with nothing but a board between you.

But in the winter, your only option is to snowboard, but the feeling of being locked into bindings that are attached to a board, isn't much like surfing at all. Until now.

Check out the noboard. No bindings. Nothing but you and your board. In order to stay on, you hold onto a rope that's attached to your board, which has a heavy duty, thermal-set, elastomeric pad. This just means that it's specifically designed to have outstanding grip and it's able to handle cold temperatures.

Noboarding allows you to use your body more freely, which obviously makes it much more difficult than regular snowboarding. Which was why it was created in the first place by the late and great Gregg Todd.

You can check out the Noboard short film (Yes to the No) coming to a town near you - the Banff Film Festival World Tour features this and other stunning short films on mountain themes that are like nothing you've ever seen.

Want to see a some photos and a video of noboarding? Then read more

View 4 Photos ›

Trail Running

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 13:00:00 -0800

I'm hearing a lot about how you ladies love running. I do too. I love it because it's hard, and I can really push myself, and feel every muscle in my body pumping. And afterwards, I feel amazing.
For many, running on a treadmill just isn't an option. Either you think it's lame because the whole point of running is to get outside and breathe in the fresh air. Or maybe you despise going to the gym, or don't own a treadmill because they are way too expensive.

Trail Running is like running on a road or track, but instead, you run on - you're so brilliant - trails. Anywhere that you hike, you can go trail running. Even in the winter.

Running in the woods or charging up a mountain is like going through a giant obstacle course. You've got to watch out for loose rocks, mud, and dog poop. You've got to dodge fallen logs and sticks in your way.

And what else is great? There aren't many other people around. It's just you and nature.

When I go running in the woods, the trees just absorb all my thoughts and worries. When I'm done, I feel refreshed, relaxed, and totally pumped at the same time.

Want to know what you'll need to go trail running? Then read more

Sneakers just won't cut it. You'll need to get yourself some trail running shoes. They're waterproof and the soles are really thick with these knobby things on the bottom. They're more rigid and protective than regular old kicks.

Just about every shoe company makes them. You can get ones from Merrell, The North Face, Montrail, Salomon, Vasque. But my faves are from Keen - there's more room for your toes to spread out wide.

A pair of trail running shoes will be around $90-120, so just try on a few different kinds to get the feel for which ones are most comfortable for your feet.
You'll want to wear layers, preferably ones that wick away the sweat from your skin. You can even wear socks that wick, to help prevent blisters.
Bring plenty of water.
I also bring my cell phone and a form of identification, just to keep myself safe.

Picking Out Snowshoes

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:00:00 -0800

If you've ever rented a pair of snowshoes, you'll probably agree that it was really fun and fairly easy to get started.

But you can't rent forever. Here are some tips when buying your own snowshoes:

Know that they can be pretty expensive, depending on what you want. They range in price from $100 - $250.
Deciding what kind to buy depends on where you'll be tromping. You can get snowshoes for easy flat trails, steep and icy inclines, backcountry, and ones to run in.

Snowshoes are also made with different materials. Most are made with light-weight aluminum, but you can also get traditional ones made out of wood and rawhide.
There are also different bindings. There are ones that are made with durable fabric straps that adjust easily to any boot size. There are also bindings made out of plastic, that mold to your toes and heel for even more of a custom fit. Some have buckles and some have cinches for easy entrance and exit.
Snowshoe size is based on your total weight (you and your stuff).
Whatever snowshoes you choose, make sure you have really supportive and warm boots to wear with them. Bring those boots to the store and try on all types of snowshoes so you can get a feel for what you like.

I'm a big fan of Tubbs, so you might want to check those out. They'll even help you choose the right snowshoe for your needs.

You can look at their models online and then visit a dealer near you to try them on.

You'll be happy once you have your own pair, so you'll be ready to go snowshoeing as soon as the snow falls.