The Inter-Mountain photos by Shannon Bennett Campbell The Elkins-Randolph County YMCA provides several activities to help fight off the winter blues.

Green Acres in Elkins provides fresh fruit and vegetables.

Seven Performance is one of several locations in Randolph County that residents can take advantage of for excercise.

It is difficult for many area residents to look at calendars and realize some big changes are on the way. This wonderful warm weather we have shared with delight is about to disappear and the activity level to which we have grown accustomed will be challenged.

How we prepare and react can make a big difference in our quality of life. So we can choose to say, ” Bring it on” or we can retreat to our couches and recliner chairs, knowing lots of people on television would like to influence us.

When inclement winter weather is mentioned in these parts, most recognize sidewalks and some streets could cause problems for their walking routines. There is probably a bit more effort that could be put into sidewalk snow removal. Lining-up some deserving teen-ager to keep a snow shovel handy would be worth paying a few bucks if it kept an elderly neighbor from falling while taking a walk.

Grocery store visits are necessary for all, especially if we want to be sure we are eating foods rich in vitamins and nutrients. Chips and carbonated drinks just will not get the job done.

And, we must try to have some control of the calories that are going down our throats. Could not five plump grapes be a substitute for a candy bar? Would a half grape-fruit with sweetener be a good donut substitute? How many pounds are we willing to add on to our fragile bodies during the winter that we know will disgust us in spring? And, our doctors are good to tell us, “It never ends here, because you are headed for diabetes or heart disease.”

Access, or lack thereof, to proper exercise is another winter challenge. It seems so much easier to watch the “live action” of others on television football, basketball or race car events. 

Many of us do not feel up to sled-riding, mainly because we really do not want to have to pull the sled back up the hill we just came down. So, what are we to do to make sure we keep in shape during extended freezes?

Very fortunately for us, there are several venues in our area that can provide plenty of exercise equipment, training programs and instruction specifically for middle-age-to-senior fitness. Several physician offices are equipped with machines and swimming pools, as well.

Two of the oldest mainstays in the community are our Elkins-Randolph County YMCA and our Randolph County Senior Center that each offer an assortment of exercise programs and facilities, including gyms, swimming, walking paths, hand-ball, basketball, volleyball and other active sport competitions.

More recently built venues include Anytime Fitness and Seven Performance (with a Mill Creek location, also). Additional fitness locations exist if one looks around the area. Sometimes, community members are able to use our school gyms when supervision can be provided. 

As winter health issues are considered, I remember some of my early Sunday School training. Teachers noted, “Love others as you love yourself.” I have often thought of this as “caring for others as one cares for themselves.”

As is often the case, if we do not care about ourselves, no one else will do the job. So, we need to take on this nutritional and physical responsibility without reservation. As springtime rolls around, it will pay big dividends.

Be your own best friend, get through the winter, and have a big smile on your face when warm weather arrives once more. Think about how many pounds were lost because they were not gained in the first place. Meet the coming cold with resolutions in hand.