That's Fit

I'm so happy to be back to incorporating outdoor workouts into my routine, sporadic as it may be. It's been almost three years since I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast and I still don't have winter workout gear in my wardrobe. So I tend to wait around for April to go for any lengthy walks or jogs outside.

But that would be so normal.

The other day, I actually did sprints, played hide and seek and pretended to be Dora the Explorer in a field of tall grass down the street from our house. Of course, I wasn't alone. This was my daughter's idea of a grand time. And it turned out to be a pretty darn good workout, too.

No trails, stroller, trails, or special gear needed. Just an empty meadow and our imaginations.

I know that winter is coming to a close -- perhaps more rapidly in some areas than others -- but I know that for me, the weather extremes that occur at the end of winter tend to cause absolute havoc with my hair. I don't know if it's the return of the sun, the sudden, massive snowstorms, the wind or perhaps a combination of all of the above and more, but the months of February though April tend to bring fly-aways, split-ends and, of course, hat head on the colder days.

So what can all of us who suffer through the horrors of winter hair do to ease our suffering? Apparently there are a number of pretty simple ways to tame static, prevent flakes caused by dryness and maintain shine despite the crazy weather. Check out the tips listed here for ideas on how to keep you hair looking luscious, even in the waning days of winter.

All of my friends in the so-called "allergy capital of the country", Gainesville, Florida have allergies. I mean ALL of them. Growing up on the beach in South Florida, I didn't know a sole who spoke of the evils of allergies. Now, everyone on my speed dial is speaking with a raspy voice and choking up a lung.

Winter can be especially rough. If you're dealing with the aggravations of allergies or worse, the brutal side-effects that come with asthma...Women's Health magazine has a pretty great resource for you. The Women's Health Allergies and Asthma Clinic offers the full scoop on breathing easy through this winter.

Except for the fact that someone in my household has been sick three out of every four days this month, this winter has been stacking up to be pretty awesome. Last winter was so unnaturally warm, it was kind of spooky. If you live in the North, like me, you're used to snow in the winter months, and lots of it. This year hasn't disappointed. We've had two snow days this week and more snow is headed our direction -- time to get out and play!

If you're a winter sports enthusiast with your own personal sense of style, you'll appreciate this post from Blog Tahoe titled 10 Ski Hats You'll Have No Problem Getting Noticed In. I can't promise you they'll keep you warm while you're out skiing, snowboarding, or just throwing snowballs, but they'll definitely add some color, style, and humor to your outdoor play.

Ugh, who isn't dealing with dry skin in some form during this time of year? Besides anybody lucky enough to be living in southern California or Hawaii? That's what I thought. Practically nobody.

One of the biggest reasons we all seem to have more dry skin this time of year than, say, during the summer is because of all the dry air. Cold air holds less moisture anyway and then we go pumping dry heat into our homes and make it even worse. Check out these other top causes of dry skin and see if you aren't inadvertently sabotaging yourself and making yourself miserable this winter -- spring is still a ways away!

With winter here, those iced coffees we enjoyed so much over the summer will have to be, well, put on ice for the time being.

Biting winds and chilling temperatures make drinking a nice, steaming hot drink what most people reach for during these colder months. Just be sure to take note of how many calories you're downing. Some contain very few, while others may contain far more than you think.

Here are just a few popular winter drinks, along with their respective caloric content.

• Black Coffee: 2 calories
• Spiced Apple Cider: 120 calories
• Hot Cocoa w/ Skim Milk: 197 calories
• Chai Latte: 240 calories

Above and beyond these drinks, many of those fancy mocha coffees from Starbucks and Seattle's Best come with a very hefty caloric price tag. Stay warm, but drink wisely.

January isn't typically synonymous with taking a dip, but indoor pools in winter can be a great resource for parents and children. We're lucky enough to live walking distance from such an amenity. Next week, it will be the site of the regular playgroup my daughter and I sometimes host at our house.

The playgroup has become an institution for many modern parents. I can't remember such a thing when I was a kid. In fact, I can't remember playing with anyone accept for my cousins before kindergarten. But anyway, winter has left the moms itching to get out of the house. So among several ideas that came out of a brainstorming session was the pool. It will be a great place for us to let the kids play while we take shifts to do laps or water aerobics.

Talk about multitasking! Playgroup, gossip and workout all in one place in an hour!

Freezing rain, sleet, snow -- winter weather can make sidewalks and walkways slick and dangerous. When the weather is bad, it's a good idea to step cautiously until you know whether the surface you're walking on is wet or icy.

If you do have to cross a slippery stretch, HealthDay suggests walking with your feet a little wider apart than usual, knees slightly bent, and that you protect your dominant arm by carrying a package or your coat in case of a fall. Inclines are best handled by walking sideways. A hard fall can put a serious crimp in your day-to-day activities, not to mention your fitness routine, so be careful out there!

Winter is known as the season for sickness -- I know this well, since I've been battling a cold for the last couple of weeks. But you can fight back against illness. How? By stocking up on Superfoods, of course. AOL Body recommends packing your kitchen full of the following immunity-building things:

• Blueberries
• Plain yogurt
• Broccoli
• Winter Squash
• Kale
• Pumpkin
• Apples
• Healthy soup

Want to know why? Click here for more information.

The forecasted high temperature for tomorrow is 17 degrees where I live. Let me say that again, the forecasted HIGH temperature for tomorrow is 17 degrees. Here in New England, this isn't entirely uncommon for this time of year, but it is certainly a sign that those extra couple of weeks of warm weather we experienced back on October won't be returning any time soon. That also means that we have to be mindful of such known dangers as frostbite and exposure. However, the winter months bring with them an added risk, one that we are not always as quick to take into account.

With our doors and windows closed, most homes have less ventilation than they may during warmer months. As a result, if a home contains high levels of radon, this cancer-causing, airborne gas may get trapped within the walls of your home.

One of the greatest dangers of radon is that it is virtually undetectable; it can't be seen, smelled or tasted. The best way to test your home's radon level is by purchasing a special test kit or by hiring a professional to perform the measurement. Not only is it inexpensive to test for radon, it is also well worth the investment. Each year, more than 21,000 people die from lung cancer related to radon exposure.

For more information, visit www.epa.gov/iaq/radon

Last week I told you about carpet skating. This week, I'm going more traditional. How about a spin on an ice skating rink?

As most of us are probably still spending more time with more family members than we typically do the rest of the year, it's important to come up with ways to keep moving while spending time together. Ice skating provides the perfect option, whether you live somewhere cold enough to enjoy an actual frozen lake or or you have to find an indoor facility where they recreate a frozen lake. Or maybe you're somewhere in between like I am near the nation's Capitol, where you can find many man-made outdoor rinks in the middle of town.

No matter how the ice under foot came to be, it's great family fun for a few bucks plus renting a pair of blades if you don't own them. Many rinks offer lessons for the less confident. And if you've got family members that are too old or young to join in the activity, I'm sure they'd enjoy watching the advanced set show off while the beginners fall on their butts.

Playing outside with my kids today, I was marveling at the fact that the cold doesn't seem to bother them. As they threw themselves down the mini-snow mountain in our front yard again and again, they seem oblivious to the fact that it's only 20 degrees out there. I, on the other hand, was shivering in my boots!

Every wonder why we feel cold? Scientists have narrowed the sensation down, mostly, to a single protein called TRPM8, though they believe that there are really two neurons that transmit cold -- one that gives you that pleasantly cool feeling and another that makes you feel cold-pain.

If you're like me, though, you don't really care about the scientific reason why you're cold...you just want to warm up. Time to double up on those socks and dig out cute winter hats and mittens!

If you live on the East Coast, you've been dealing with a wind chill lately. Not fun. But there's an up side that can reduce your daily routine time and therefore your stress level as well. Don't worry about having a bad hair day. Forget about it all together and put on a hat to keep warm, cover your mop and add instant style to your outfit.

I confess that I'm a bit of a hat horse. I wore wintry attire when I resided in the Southwest when it was 60 degrees outside. I've even been dubbed Annie Hall for a few of my pieces of head gear.

My favorite source for new hats when I can splurge is Anthropologie. Or if your more of a sporty type, J. Crew or Title Nine. And my neighbor has gotten several cute toppers for her husband and kid at Whole Foods Market of all places. Or just pull out one of those old favorites from years ago that reminds you of a wondrous winter gone by.

So cover that bed head, never mind the wind blow and use the extra time to catch a few snowflakes on your tongue this season.

If the cold weather wasn't bad enough, another side effect of winter is the dry skin that plagues the majority of us once the temperatures drop. In particular, I notice myself reaching for the chap stick twice as often as I normally would, to soothe my almost painfully dry lips. You too?

Everyday Health has a list of things you can do to keep your lips from drying out this winter:

• Protect and moisturize lips with beeswax or petroleum jelly.
  
• Drink lots of water to keep your skin hydrated
• Keep a humidifier running in your house
• Avoid the sun and wind
• When you are outdoors, wear sunscreen on your lips.
  

And don't forget to pack your chap stick with you everywhere you go!

Find yourself craving a big bowl of spaghetti once the first snow flies? I know I do -- something about the cold weather makes me want to hole up with my comfort foods -- mac n' cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta and so on. And I'm not alone.

Winter controls the appetites of many, according to this article from WebMD, and those extra pounds can really add up. So what's causing this? Is it a side affect of SAD (Seasonal affective disorder)? Maybe, but it's more likely that it's evolutionary -- we're programmed to store more fat in the winter in case of a food shortage.

Want to know more about your winter cravings? Click here.