Make the most of the snow

During my stint on Wisconsin Public Radio this morning, host Joy Cardin mentioned the workout benefits of shoveling snow.

Because there's a fresh opportunity to build some muscles right on my sidewalk, I looked back at a couple previous posts on the technique that will maximize the benefits of the work.

This piece taps the wisdom of John Burns, a Milwaukee-area physical therapist with a strong background in martial arts and movement sciences.

As Burns advised, lifting and flinging snow can be a great workout for core muscles, along with the glutes, quads, lats and quads.

In this piece, Luke Lewitzke, a trainer at the Elite Fitness Club in Mequon, demonstrates the proper technique to spare your back and a few exercises for the warm-up and cool down.

Cardin and I spent most of the hour talking about more pleasurable pursuits in the snow, particularly cross-country skiing.

The heaviest snow from the storm that hit Wisconsin on Thursday added to the cover in the northern part of the state, along the Lake Superior snow belt.

Sara Knutson and I both toured a few cross-country ski trails in the northern tier earlier this month, and provided reviews and guides that can be found here.

The first snow of the season arrived just in time for the candlelight ski at the Lapham Peak recreation area in the Town of Delafield on Saturday night. Governor Dodge, Lake Kegonsa and Kohler-Andrae state parks also have night-time ski events scheduled.