Special Section

Chiseled for Cheap

10 winter fitness activities through Eau Claire Parks & Recreation

V1 Staff |

*calorie estimates based on one hour of activity for a 180-pound person

Hockey: No teams necessary for this co-ed free-for-all 8:45-10:15pm every Wednesday at Hobbs Ice Center through March 27. This is for ages 18 and older costs $6 a session and you can slap shot 654 calories away in the first hour.

Snowshoeing: Take a stroll over any of the 650 acres of parkland. Don’t own snowshoes? Rent a pair from 6-8pm Thursdays at Boyd Park during Winter After Hours through Feb. 28. In just one hour, you’ll stomp away 654 calories.

Cross-country skiing: The city grooms ski trails in Carson and Fairfax parks, as well as the City Wells area to account for about 6 miles of skiing. Depending on your pace, you can burn 572 to 654 calories in an hour.

Broomball: Drop in for adult open broomball 8:45-10:15pm every Wednesday at Hobbs Ice Center through March 27. Cost is $5 a session, and in only one hour of broom-to-ball combat, you’ve burned yourself 601 calories. (Brooms provided.)

Skating: Enjoy your lunch on ice with “Lunch Break Open Skate” from 11am-1pm weekdays at Hobbs Ice Center until May 24. Admission is $2 with another $2 for skate rental. Can’t get away at lunch? Open skate is 5:30-7:30pm Sundays and 6:30-8:30pm Wednesdays until March 27. It costs $5 for adults, $4 for 17 and younger. Either way, it’s 572 calories an hour.

Sledding: What can be so physically demanding about sliding down a hill? Walking to the top of it, for starters. Do that for an hour, and you will have burned 490 calories. Reward yourself with a cup of hot chocolate and a roaring fire during “Come Slide With Us” 1-4pm Sundays at Pinehurst Park through Feb. 10.

Dancing: Starting Feb. 5, you can learn how to waltz, rumba, foxtrot, or swing dance (6-7pm) with weekly dance lessons at the Moose Lodge. Melt away up to 449 calories a class. Cost is $49 ($59 for non-residents) and available to ages 16 and older.

Water Aerobics: Water fitness classes meet twice a week in area indoor pools, and you can burn 327 calories each class. The next five-week sessions start the week of Feb. 18. Cost is $48 ($58 for non-residents) and available to ages 17 and older.

Walking: With 13 miles of paved bike trails, you’ll need more than a hour to walk it all, but even at a leisurely pace, you’ll shuffle off 204 calories each hour.

Ice Fishing: This counts. So access Half Moon Lake or Dells Pond from public boat landings in Carson, Riverview, and Mt. Simon parks to become 163 calories lighter within your first hour of, um, exercising.