Exercising in Cold Weather

If you have a long-term health and fitness goal, it’s likely that you’ll need to exercise over the winter. Unfortunately, the weather is usually not the best during the winter months, and this can make exercise a lot more difficult.

You could take your workouts indoors, but if you enjoy being out in the fresh air, you’d probably rather deal with the frosty weather.

There are plenty of winter exercises that you can do outdoors. If you’re feeling adventurous and you have the right facilities nearby, you might want to try skiing or snowboarding. Alternatively, you can stick to your usual outdoor running or walking routine.

When you’re exercising in cold temperatures, there are a few extra steps that you need to take to ensure that your workouts are as effective as they can be. If you’re putting yourself through a tough, frosty workout, you’ll want to gain the maximum benefits from your efforts.

Here are some top tips to help you out when you’re exercising in cold weather.

Fuel Up and Stay Hydrated

It’s important to optimize your nutrition prior to exercising in any conditions, but especially when you’re going to be working out in cold temperatures.

Your body’s initial reaction to the stress of extremely cold weather is to increase glycogen breakdown for energy. You must ensure that you adequately fuel your body prior to exercise so your body can replenish these energy stores and the muscles can function correctly.

Since your body will still lose sweat during exercise in cold conditions, you should drink enough water to stay hydrated. Drink fluids before, during, and after the workout, even if you don’t feel thirsty.

Dress in Layers

When you’re running in cold temperatures, it can be difficult finding the right balance between staying warm and not overheating.

Dressing in layers means that you can easily remove clothing when you start to feel too hot, but you can put them back on when you get cold. Wear breathable and waterproof materials that will enable you to sweat as much as you need to.

Protect Your Head, Hands, and Feet

The main areas of heat loss from the body are the head, hands, and feet. When you’re running outside in very cold temperatures, these areas are vulnerable to frostbite, so it’s important to protect them.

Wear some thin polypropylene gloves underneath a pair of thick mittens. Wear a wooly hat and some ear muffs over the top to give your ears some extra protection. Buy yourself a pair of thermal socks to wear over your normal socks.