Have fun, get active, get outside

St. Vital

West Winnipeg

Manitobans love a good challenge. What better time to undertake one than during the depths of winter?

The Green Action Centre’s annual Jack Frost Challenge, which launched on Feb. 1, encourages folks across the province to brave the cold and stay active during the winter months.

“Winter is six months of the year here in Winnipeg,” said Lilja Best, workplace commuter options program co-ordinator with the Green Action Centre.

“If you’re not getting outside during that time, it could have impacts on your mental and physical health. So we really want to encourage people to get out and move their bodies.”

Individuals or teams of up to five people are encouraged to log the kilometres they spend doing outdoor activities actively from Feb. 1 to 14, with a goal of reaching 130 kilometres. The challenge is a means of encouraging Manitobans to stay active while ideally reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by choosing active modes of transportation. Participants can walk, run, bike, skate, ski, snowshoe, or any combination thereof. The point is to have fun, get active, and get outside.

“You can do that anyway that gets you outside moving your body, even shovelling snow or building a snow fort, you can log that on our GoManitoba platform,” Best said. “As much as we encourage people to aim for that 130 km goal, if that is totally unachievable or a barrier for someone, we’re all about making achievable goals just to get you outside.”

Best, a St. Vital resident and regular Winnipeg Transit user, said her favourite outdoor activities during the winter are long walks in the cold.

“I love a good winter walk, when your face kind of hurts from it, you feel like you really did something,” she said.

“We’re all about encouraging active transportation. Part of the hope is that maybe people try to making those switches to more active transportation as part of their commute or their daily schedule and realize how enjoyable it can be. Maybe they’ll think about building that into their days or commutes a bit more regularly.”

Last year, 140 teams and 438 participants logging a total of 25,618 km in the Jack Frost Challenge, which has been running since 2012. This year, they’re hoping for even more.

“The goal is always to get it growing,” Best said. “I would love to see it double, but we’ll take whatever people are up for this year.”

Part of the challenge is just getting folks outside, Best said, and any level of participation qualifies participants for prizes.

“There are prizes just for taking part. It’s meant to be fun,” she said. “(Prizes are) mostly gift cards and passes to local businesses or establishments, mostly donated by the businesses like Manitoba Museum, Leopold’s Tavern, Rumor’s Restaurant and Comedy Club, Flying Squirrel, Across the Board, Get Out Escape Rooms, Oh Donuts, and Domino’s Pizza.”

The Green Action Centre will be at Assiniboine Park, near the Duck Pond, on Saturday, Feb. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to meet with participants or those who are curious about the Jack Frost Challenge.

“It’s a good opportunity for people who are interested and maybe want to learn more, we’ll be out there,” Best said. “They can come out there and take advantage of the great facilities the park has to offer.”

Visit greenactioncentre.ca or gomb.ca for more information.