Walking in the Snow Can Make You Live Longer

Studies have also shown a connection between walking speed and how long you live.

Walking speed does not need to decrease as you age and now is the the time to ensure that it doesn’t. Afterall, Jack Rabbit Johanssen cross country skiied until he was well over 100 years of age

Go to the McMaster Healthy Aging website to see exactly how to increase your walking pace, and how fast you should be walking at your age and for your health. Hint..music helps keep your pace at the speed you want it to be! The steady beat of music helps improve walking speed, stride length, and symmetry. If you allow your walking speed to decline because of shorter steps, and unsteady balance, you are at risk of a decline in the quality of your life and increased risk of falls.

In the winter you have the benefit of the resistance of the snow adding to the difficulty of your walk. Winter can tend to be a time that people want to hunker down by the fire and the television, but it will lift your spirits and help your life span if you spend more time out walking in the snow.

In Muskoka it is especially beautiful in winter, and there is a special quiet on the lake that is good for the soul.

If you are walking on the lake, be sure to use an auger to test the depth of the ice. I like to have 6 inches before I feel really safe, as I know that the ice is thinner in some spots where there are currents.

Do not walk anywhere near creeks and rivers, or the spots where they empty into the lake. Watch out for bubblers around boathouses. The should be marked with flags and red lights, but that does not always happen.

Have fun in the snow!