Coffee Break with Liz and Kate

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It’s been more than a month, now, since I blew out my knee on my icy street. Between you and me, my knee still hurts. In fact, it’s still quite swollen and has caused me to tone down my training at Operation Athlete. Needless to say, my knee is on my last nerve.

And considering the fact that we’ve had snow and ice on the roads more days than not over the past month or so – and considering that today is the second snow day this week – I figure we could use all the help we can get when it comes to getting around in this stuff.

To that end, I thought I’d share some tips for walking in the snow and ice – without breaking a leg!

• Toss your purse, laptop or other personal belongings into a backpack. Carrying things in your arms or slinging a purse on your shoulder will throw off your balance.
• If there is a mixture of snow and ice on the ground, try to walk in the snow as much as possible.
• Take baby steps.
• Look ahead – watch for shiny or dark spots on sidewalks and roads, which are likely nice little sheets of ice.
• Pretend like you’re a skater.  Ted (Operation Athlete) taught me this one while escorting us to our cars. Too bad the advice came about 2 hours after I blew out my knee… Think about it. You’re expecting to slip and slide, anyway. So just glide your way across the ice. Trust me on this one.
• Wear shoes with a textured sole – better yet, invest in a pair of golf shoes or YakTrax
• Shovel porches and walkways before the snow turns to ice. Get rid of any ice with an ice melter or kitty litter.
• And my favorite piece of advice: Stay inside by a nice fire, with a mug of hot chocolate and your favorite Snuggy!

Happy snow travels! (Or something like that…)

-Liz

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