There's a bright side to all of the snow and cold weather.  We can skip the gym because we're burning extra calories just by shivering.  Good, cuz the roads are bad and we can't get to the gym anyway!

They've studied it, and scientists say there's a hormone produced when we shiver that is also produced during exercise.  The Today Show says that hormone stimulates fat tissue to produce heat so the body can maintain its core temperature, and all of that energy helps us burn more calories.

Scooping snow is also a tremendous calorie burn.  And so is pushing that big snow blower around the neighborhood.

We may or may not also be drawn to cheesy, hearty, fat-soaked comfort foods while we're snowed in, which may impact our metabolism too.  But if we do overeat, we can always strip down to a tank top and go outside for a bit for some um...shiver-cise.

I'm trying to look on the bright side of this Treasure Valley winter.  If you have other secrets for making the best of it, do let us know!  It's going to be around the freezing mark and messy most of the week.  We'll be physically fit in no time.

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