The WWZ Lifestyle

It’s still October. There’s a thick blanket of snow on the ground in Saskatoon. Readers, it’s time to talk about That activity – the simplest winter life improver Saskatchewan has to offer, but also one of the hardest to get into, the one we all have a bottomless list of excuses for not doing. I’m talking of course about becoming a Winter Walking Zealot.

I personally self-identify as a Winter Walking Zealot, or WWZ. I am here to admit: it’s terrible. It’s 100% terrible in the moment like 95% of the time, unless you happen to hit the sweet spot where your winter clothing choices overlap with the temperature, humidity, and wind speed at the exact intersection of legitimate outdoor winter comfort. The perfect winter walk is what we WWZ’s strive for yet rarely achieve.

So yes, admittedly it’s terrible most of the time, but the benefits are many. It prevents cabin fever, spares you from sitting in a cold car and/or saves gasoline, exposes you to the various good things that are associated with exercise such as improved physical and mental fitness, recharges your energy, gets you some vitamin D and fresh air, and in general will just make you feel ALIVE. It is is a bit like joining a fight club where the members are you and Mother Nature.

Yes, it truly is one of those old-fashioned "character builders." (It's not lost on me that many of the activities I recommend on this blog are things that many people would rather gouge their eyes out than participate in; "saskatude" is perhaps is an unintentional euphemism for character building and maybe the dads really did know what they were talking about all along.) It’s uncomfortable and awful in the moment but when it’s all over the sweet comfort of a heated grocery store or your own living room is a high reserved especially for the WWZ. You did it! You winter walked and made it back to a temperature-controlled environment in one piece! Reward yourself with an impulse buy from the candy section or a hot cup of Sleepy Time Tea.

Now, after that EXTREMELY CONVINCING and fun-sounding argument with zero holes in it, here are the steps to become a WWZ:

1. Commit to not driving anywhere within a radius of your choosing (for me, this is anywhere I can physically see from my house or workplace)
2. Obtain weather-appropriate clothing*
3. Put on said weather-appropriate clothing
4. Go outside and walk where you’re going instead of driving
5. Repeat

*I’m talking: Parka! Toque! Mitts**! Scarf***! Boots****! Long johns! Ski pants! If you’re going to WW at night, get some high-viz armbands, they are cheap to order on eBay and drivers will thank you.

**not gloves, they make your fingers cold

***maybe two, one for under the coat and one for over

****rated for -40, natch, do not be That Guy trying to WW in Converse runners

It is VERY! important to note that one cannot truly ascend to WWZ levels if trying to WW without adequate personal protective equipment; I’m not being tongue-in-cheek or making a joke because I’m a safety profesh, I’m legitimately begging you to be safe out there. You know who you are, Bare Ankles McGillicuddy, suck it up and put on some gosh darned long pants. A second important note is that none of this clothing need be exorbitantly expensive. If you’ve bought into the extremely false narrative that the only way to be warm in winter is to buy a coat that costs $900 and rhymes with shmanada shmoose, I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but spending thousands of dollars on winter layers ain’t one.

(The Gap appears not to be currently advertising styles appropriate for the WWZ, but this can be remedied with ski pants and/or high socks.)

If you don’t actually have utilitarian places you can walk to in your non-driving radius, you’re going to have to set some sort of alternative walking routine. Is it around the block every night by yourself? Can you find a WWZ partner who lives an acceptable distance away and walk over to each others’ houses on alternating evenings where the other is waiting with a hot drink? Do you have to do it anyway because you have a dog?

Having a library and grocery store open up about 1km from my house was the kick start I needed to become a WWZ, and it’s always easier when the walk has a purpose. But the habit is pretty engrained now so I usually WW at least 5 times a week whether I have a destination or not. It absolutely makes me feel better, even though I curse it the entire time. It’s not TOO cold yet – don’t wait until it’s -40 to give it a try.

(I'm not joking about the high-viz armbands. They stay on my coat all winter long.)