Exercising outdoors such as running, biking…etc, during the fall and winter seasons has many benefits, such as a lack of mosquitoes; fewer people located at your favorite outdoor workout spot; and cooler weather to prevent overheating to name a few. However, it’s also important to follow some basic safety guidelines to make exercising outdoors that much more enjoyable.
Without maintaining the proper body core temperature for your body, your blood in your extremities will shunt away from them and flow towards your core in an increased effort to maintain the correct body temperature. This of course exposes your extremities to feelings of cold; numbness; and in extreme cases frostbite, which is the deadening of tissue due to lack of vital nutrients like oxygen from proper blood flow. If you are unable to maintain proper body core temperature Hypothermia will eventually set in. These circumstances can lead to an unpleasant experience exercising outside, which may affect your decision in the future in regards to exercising outdoors. So how do we stay warm?
Insulating Lesson: Air is a poor conductor of heat…Water, a great conductor of heat. Using the right type of clothes to trap air between the body and the material allows air to maintain a warmer temperature than outside ambient temperatures. The right type of clothing will also wick away moisture from your body preventing that expelled moisture from cooling the body as it interacts with the outside temperatures. Cotton or any absorbent material allows for a build up of moisture, from sweat or otherwise, conducting heat away from the body as heat moves from a warmer space (body) to a cooler one (outside)…i.e. Cotton not good during colder temperatures.
Layering with the right type of clothing and understanding insulation is very important to maintaining a proper body core temperature. An under layer of moisture wicking fabric that traps air, followed by an additional layer of fleece should do the trick. Another vital component to dressing properly has to do with your head cover since most of our body heat escapes through our head (as much as 50% according to some studies). Same rules apply as far as material and principals are concerned when choosing the proper head covering.
While exercising the body will warm up and produce it’s own heat, sometimes reducing the need for excessive layers, giving you the option of removing a layer if you get too hot. However, you cannot remove a layer you don’t have, meaning if you forgot to layer and just wore big bulky clothes because of the colder temperatures, you may still be subject to overheat. Make sure as soon as you are finished exercising that you layer back up to prevent a drop in body temp. Drinking plenty of fluids before, during, and after exercise still applies as does warming up, stretching and most other key components to having a safe exercise workout.
Don’t let a little cold weather prevent you from enjoying the outdoors as much as you do during the spring and summer seasons. It’s so nice to be outside when the leaves are changing and the air is crisp. With a little planning and the right gear why wait to enjoy the outdoors while getting in shape too?
