The harder the weather, the better the workout

When my brother Ed asked me this morning if I would play two-hand-touch football after his rec team was down a man or two, I said something that shocked him - yes.

I don't know why I said yes. Maybe the thought of playing football in knee-deep snow like we used to when we were kids had an allure to it. Or maybe it was a mini-mid life crisis moment where I wanted to prove this old man could still run and catch the ball.

By the end of the game I had made one out of two catches, and prevented the opposing team players I covered from scoring. But my day was just getting started.

When I got home I took Toro (my Pitbull-Shar Pei mix rescue puppy) for a walk, which then transitioned into a run. After a few miles we headed back and my son Adam asked me to play Xbox Kinect games with him including Track and Field (javelin, discus throw, hurdles, long jump, and more), Boxing, Table Tennis, and if that wasn't enough, Dance Central 3.

Some folks would have passed out after a few Dance Central 3 songs, but not me. I then went down to help my neighbor shovel her car out of the snow from the blizzard and then shoveled my own car out.

I admit I'm tired just thinking about everything I did today, but it made me reflect on all the times I looked outside the window or at the weather app on my iPhone and I said, "Ah, too cold. I'll run or ride tomorrow."

It also made me realize that there are always opportunities to get a good workout in whether you're shoveling snow or dancing to "Boom Boom Pow" by Black Eye Peas or doing the "Cupid Shuffle" by Cupid.

The +Gran Fondo NY is 98 days away, according to the countdown on their site. And while that might seem like an eternity to some people, for those training for the 110-mile cycling race, its the end of the second quarter and it's halftime, to use football as a metaphor.

No more excuses. The clock is ticking. Get on the bike, get on your running shoes, do whatever you do, but keep moving. And take your dog with you.