You don't have to turn down your exercise routine when you turn up your thermostat. Here's how to exercise in winter without sacrificing safety.
How to Exercise in Winter While Staying Safe
Exercise is a blast – but in cold weather, an outdoor workout can be an arctic blast. When it comes to doing the activities that make you feel good, there's no need to put the brakes on during winter weather. Follow these guidelines on how to exercise in winter while avoiding injury.
Colder Temperatures Require Careful Planning
In general, health benefits of exercise outweigh extra inconvenience of putting on a few outer layers or feeling your nose getting cold. Still, exercise at any season of the year shouldn't involve pain or danger. Cold weather exercise may lead to decreased muscle temperature, which in turn causes changes in your strength and aerobic performance.
While you may shiver in the cold and think of your muscles as "stiffening up," lower temperature actually reduces muscle contraction and power output. Blood flow to muscles also decreases. This means you may need more effort to perform the same exercise.
To keep muscles warm and safe during your outdoor exercise routine, consider the following:
- Choose appropriate clothing. Dress in layers rather than single, heavy pieces.
- Cover your head. This is a key place you can lose heat.
- Put on a waterproof outer layer. Getting wet can make you lose heat faster.
- Take the intensity down. In the cold, you may not feel hot or thirsty – common signs of fatigue – when you tire. It's possible to overexert yourself before you realize it.
- Warm up first. Stretch all muscle groups but focus on dynamic warmups such as swinging your arms or walking.
Plus, follow basic sports injury prevention guidelines for maximum protection.
How to Exercise for Winter Accident Prevention
Outdoor exercise when surfaces are snowy or icy can lead to slips and falls. You may also be less visible to vehicles when days are shorter. During your winter workout, stay safe by:
- Carrying a flashlight
- Choosing sturdy shoes or boots
- Paying attention to surfaces, especially snowy or icy patches
- Wearing reflective clothing
Balance, mobility and strength training may also help make you more resilient to recover from falls.
Extra Protection for Older Adults
When exercising outside during the winter months, older adults should take extra precautions to enable them to enjoy the outdoors while protecting their health. Older people can lose body heat more quickly than young ones and may less aware they're getting cold. This combination can lead to the danger of cold stress or hypothermia – when the cold becomes too much for your body to handle.
If you're an older adult who loves your outdoor exercise routine, follow all the precautions above, while also making sure you're staying warm enough indoors – rely on a thermostat, not how warm you feel, as a guide. Have an exercise buddy, perhaps a family member, who can help assess how cold it is and keep you aware of the temperature when you may not feel extremely cold.
It's safe and beneficial to walk in the cold if you have some conditions, such as arthritis. Just make extra sure you warm up before exercising and cover extremities with hats, mittens and other cold-weather gear.
However, other health conditions, such as asthma, heart disease and Reynaud's syndrome, may not be a good mix with cold-weather exercise. Always consult your doctor about cold-weather exercise safety as an older adult.
When to Stay Indoors
If your local weather station or a public service announcement predicts extreme cold or bad weather such as sleet, an ice storm or a blizzard, it may be time to delay your workout until skies clear. Rapid thaws may also cause a risk, especially to skaters.
Follow any public health guidance about skating, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling or other winter activity where the environment can pose a threat. As always, working out safe lets you work out longer – and that's a win-win in any weather.