How to Stay Safe When Exercising Outdoors in Cold Weather [Exercise]

It's pretty cold outside, at least here in North America. That doesn't mean you have to skip your morning jog or get out in the sun for a little exercise though, it just means you have to take a few extra precautions to stay safe, warm, and comfortable while you exercise outdoors. Here's what you need to know.

Photo by Lukasz Hejnak.

Remember the Basics

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• Dress in layers. You should do this in the cold weather whether your'e working out or not, but it's essential if you're planning to exercise in the cold. You'll want to make sure you're warm when you walk outside and are first struck by how cold it is, but that you don't overheat when you start working out or get too cold when you start to sweat and that sweat evaporates. Wear light jackets you can tie around your waist when you get too warm, and thermal exercise clothes designed to wick away sweat and moisture from your skin and keep your temperature even.
• Protect Your extremities. You lose a lot of body heat through the top of your head, so it's obviously important to keep that covered if it's cold outside, but it's just as important to protect the extremities that don't get the same kind of blood flow that your head and torso get. Your ears, fingers and hands, feet and toes, they're all important to keep covered and protected. The Mayo Clinic even suggests buying running shoes that are half-size too big so you can pile on the thermal socks.
• Stay hydrated. It might be tempting to forgo the water bottle if you're headed out on a bike ride in December or going for a morning jog in 40-degree weather, but don't leave it behind. Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean you won't sweat at all, and just because it's cold outside doesn't mean your body won't need more water to keep you going. Bring some with you, or make sure to take breaks to stay hydrated.
• Keep your phone on and on you. This is important in any weather, but when it's cold outside or you're planning to go running or biking far from home, it's less likely you'll encounter people who are also out for a run or jog. When it's cold, most people will try to stay indoors, which means if you take a tumble or get injured, it's even more important that you have the means to call for help without needing to flag someone down.

Photo by snarglebarf.

Know the Warning Signs of Hypothermia and Frostbite

Frostbite takes place when your body's tissue begins to freeze. The first warning signs that you may be frostbitten are tingling, stinging, and numbness in exposed areas of your skin, like your face and nose or your ears and fingers (if you didn't cover them like we suggested.) If you suspect that any part of your body has been frostbitten, it's important to get indoors and warm the area slowly as soon as possible to stop any additional tissue from freezing. The longer you stay in the cold, the more damage the frostbite does to your body, so it's important to warm up as soon as you notice the warning signs.

Hypothermia, on the other hand, is the overall cooling of the body's core temperature. Usually this takes place because you've been out in the cold too long, even if you're covered up, or because you're not properly dressed and your clothing is keeping moisture and sweat close to your core, lowering your overall body temperature. The first symptoms of hypothermia are uncontrollable shivering, confusion, slurred speech, loss of normal coordination and fine motor control, and perhaps worst of all, sudden fatigue. Most people exercising, even in the cold, don't get to the point where they start to feel the symptoms of hypothermia, but it's possible if you're working out in cold, rainy weather, improperly dressed, go too far from home, or are outside too long. If you notice the symptoms of hypothermia, get indoors somewhere warm and seek emergency medical attention immediately.

Photo by Mark.

Use Technology to Help You

If you exercise with headphones on or a smartphone, use previously mentioned apps like Endomondo or Runkeeper to help you time your workouts so you don't stay outside too long. Create a playlist that's just the right length of time, or use a helper app like Adidas miCoach for iOS and Android or Nike+ for iOS to help you keep track of how long you've been out, how far you've gone, and when you should wrap things up.

Stay Indoors

Making the "it's too cold for a run" call is a tricky one, and what's too cold for one person is downright balmy to someone else. There's no one universal temperature where everyone should just stay inside and avoid exercising outdoors, but most people agree that once it gets down to about freezing or just below, it's time to seriously consider taking your workout indoors.

At the same time, when you're looking at the temperature outside before you leave, don't use it as the only basis for your decision. Wind chill, wind speed, cloud cover, and rain can all make a 40 degree jog feel much much colder. Think of the entire forecast before you head out for a run or a bike ride. If you're not sure whether it's too cold, or you're waffling on the decision at all, consider hitting the gym or an indoor track instead, or just staying at home and doing some aerobics or circuit training in your living room or basement.

How do you prep for a cold-weather workout? When do you determine that it's too cold to go outside? Share your exercise tips in the comments below.

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You can reach Alan Henry, the author of this post, at alan@lifehacker.com, or better yet, follow him on Twitter or Google+.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/o2NrtGyGz9g/how-to-stay-safe-when-exercising-outdoors-in-cold-weather

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