Expert Insight: How to enjoy exercising in the cold

Let's face it: When most of us see the temperature outside fall to minus double digits, our first instinct isn't to gleefully run outside. I was no different. I was a sedentary kid who found my sport - rowing - relatively late, but as soon as I did, I craved rowing on New Brunswick's Saint John River in the spring, summer and fall months. Winter was an obstacle. I feel very differently about winter activity these days. Along my journey from sedentary adolescent to Olympic athlete, I've realized that having the right supports in place can make a big difference, not just in people's attitudes towards physical activity and sport participation, but in their ability to identify and overcome barriers as well. I experienced some of those barriers myself, especially when it came to outdoor activity in the cold.