Well, spring has sprung. The snow and ice are off the roads and sidewalks here in Yellowknife. We can walk around without fear of slipping and without our winter coats. Woohoo!

I don鈥檛 know about you, but my clothes seemed to get a bit smaller in the winter. Yeah, my shirts and jeans all seemed a bit tight. I was starting to only partially dry my clothes because I thought they were shrinking. 

Then I was in a clothing store, and I saw myself in a full-length mirror. 鈥淥MG,鈥� I thought. 鈥淟ook at that gut. I have a keg where my six-pack should be.鈥�

I realized that my clothes were not shrinking but that I had to tell myself, 鈥淕et off the couch, you lazy bum!鈥� Eschia, take it easy eh.

Seriously, many of us put on a few extra pounds over the winter when there鈥檚 snow and ice all over and it鈥檚 harder to get around. Plus, it鈥檚 pretty darn cold sometimes, so we do not want to walk too far or be outside too long. In the summertime, it鈥檚 nice and warm and it鈥檚 much easier to get around.

You鈥檙e going to put on weight

Let me tell you a story about a man and his son. The man gave his old vehicle to his son and said to watch he didn鈥檛 gain weight. The son said, 鈥淲hy would I gain weight? I鈥檝e always been slim.鈥� His dad replied, 鈥淣ow you have a vehicle, you鈥檙e gonna be driving all over.鈥� The son said, 鈥淣o, I will not gain weight. I will still walk a lot.鈥�  

True enough, the son gained weight and had a hard time burning it off. That鈥檚 how most people are after they get a vehicle. We have to force ourselves to walk. It鈥檚 good for our health and it鈥檚 good for our wallet because we will use less gas and there鈥檚 less wear and tear on the vehicle.

Being more active

So let鈥檚 get outside and be more active. People can play sports like baseball, soccer, tennis, beach volleyball and golf. We can also go water skiing, hiking and canoeing. People who are not into that kind of stuff can simply go walking. 

One good thing about pets is you should take them for a walk every day. When I had dogs, they kept me active because I always took them out. Well yaaaaa.

It's also helpful to use StepsApp. Now that it is warmer out, we try to make sure we walk 5,000 steps a day, which is equivalent to about 3 km. Also, Jean always tells me to park farther away from the building we鈥檙e going to when we go shopping, so we have to walk a little farther to and from the store. 

Bring kids for a walk with you because this helps you to connect while you get fresh air and exercise, especially if they are using social media too much or on their devices a lot. It also helps them lose weight if they put on a few pounds over the winter.

Go on cookouts. Everybody loves that, as we鈥檙e people from the land and we need to be outside. It鈥檚 time to have a spring cleanup outside and put your summer furniture out. 

Clean your yard of all the debris that showed up when the snow melted. It鈥檚 an opportunity for you to do a good deed by helping a neighbour or an Elder to clean their yard. 

If you鈥檙e not going very far, walk and leave your vehicle at home like we try to do. Using a vehicle to drive a short distance is a bad habit and it does us no good, unless we need to carry something heavy.

Go to the cabin and get it ready for summer. Or bring your kids to the park and hang out with them. All that fresh air is beneficial for your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. 

Benefits of outdoor activities

Outdoor activities like walking or biking can improve the health of our heart and help us to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Research also suggests that being active in nature can reduce the risk of some types of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Woohoo!

Being outdoors can lower stress levels, improve our mood and help relieve anxiety and depression. It can help sharpen focus, improve our concentration and increase our energy levels.

Being in the natural light and fresh air can help us get a good night鈥檚 sleep. It will provide a break from daily stressors and help us get a mental and emotional recharge.

We lose a lot of vitamin D in winter because we are not in the sun. Going outdoors in the spring and summer increases vitamin D, which is important for bone health, immune function and may help prevent other health problems. 

Pretty soon you will feel pretty good, not bad. 

Gotta go. Jean鈥檚 telling me to get off the couch to go for a walk! So, if you see us walking hand-in-hand around town, be sure to give us a wave.