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Depending on where you live winter can be a chilly inconvenience or a serious hardship, and staying active can sometimes be difficult. While there's little you can do about the snow, the ice and the cold (especially the persistent, merciless, never-ending cold) with a little preparation and a little imagination there's no reason you can't keep active during the winter, and of all things actually enjoy it a little.

Preparing yourself

Staying active during the winter is impossible without the right equipment. Make sure you've got warm, sturdy boots without holes in them long before the snow flies. Look for footwear that is insulated, waterproof and able to keep your feet warm at temperatures far colder than you're likely to encounter (you'll find this number on the manufacturer's tag).

In addition to a decent pair of boots you'll also need a warm coat, again waterproof and well-insulated, ideally with a hood. If you'll be down in the snow a lot, or if you'll be out in a lot of wind some snow pants might also be a good idea. Your hands will need some gloves or mittens, perhaps a light pair of gloves for driving and a heavy pair of insulated mittens for when you're outside. It goes without saying that you should have a knitted toque or other warm hat for your head - not a baseball cap.

Things you need to do

There's so much work to do during the winter that you really have no excuse for not staying active - there's simply too much work that needs to be done.

Whenever it snows you'll need to shovel or plough your driveway. In some jurisdictions you are even required by law to clear the snow from your front walkway and the sidewalks that cross in front of your property within a certain number of hours after a snowfall. While shovelling snow is great exercise be sure to pace yourself and don't overdo it - the day after the first storm of the year is one of the busiest days of the year for ambulance calls responding to heart attacks.

In addition to shovelling snow your driveway will need some sand (and maybe some salt) to keep it from getting too slippery. You'll also want to put some sand and salt on your doorstep, walkways and anywhere you or someone else may have to go.

As the winter goes on you may have to shovel the snow off of your roof if you are worried that it's getting too heavy, but again you've got to be careful, as snow-covered roofs are especially slippery. Don't forget to keep the icicles cleared off of your eaves troughs as well - the weight of them

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