I love fall and winter! I wouldn’t like living where the weather is
the same all year around. The beauties
of spring, summer, winter and fall are magical and need to be experienced to be
believed. The magic ends when accidents
happen. We can’t ignore the fact that
incidents of slips, falls, and automobile accidents increase dramatically during
the fall and winter months. It is hard
to resist taking a walk on a beautiful fall or winter day, but soggy leaf piles
and roads covered with snow and ice can be treacherous.
Be careful whether you walk for exercise or just need to get safely
from point A to point B. You can’t stay
indoors all winter long. You can’t let
winter hold you hostage. It is important
to be prepared and be extra mindful of your surroundings. With a little extra effort you can keep on walking and enjoy the crisp sunny
days.
Be careful. It is slippery out there. Every block will present a new
challenge. Ice-free sidewalks are okay,
but walking on packed snow requires more caution. Take your time, walk slowly and take shorter
steps on icy or snow covered sidewalks and streets. Be extra wary of car traffic. Inexperienced drivers may not be able to stop
at crosswalks or may skid out of control when applying the breaks.
It is dark later in the mornings and it gets
dark earlier at night. Do your walking
during the nicest parts of the day (if you can). I’ve had to move my 7-8 p.m. dog walk up to
2:30 in the afternoon and that is quite an adjustment for me. Keep warm.
Dress in layers, wear gloves, and a warm fuzzy head cover.
Trade your sneakers in on
good supportive walking boots or trail shoes. They will provide better traction, and if you
pick your route carefully you should be able to enjoy a nice winter
outing. Consider a walking stick with an ice-pick tip and remember that you can get
slip-on traction devices that will
fit right over your shoes. If you are
walking for exercise you might want to reverse your normal route so that the
wind will be at your back on the way home. Facing the wind when you are already exhausted
can turn a pleasant outing into a nightmare. Don’t
put your exercise routines on hold during fall and winter months. If you don’t feel comfortable walking out of
doors try mall walking, join a gym, or buy walking videos that you can do in
your own living room. Enjoy the
pleasures of walking every month of the year.
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