December is less than a month away, so you know what that means: it’s almost winter. The air is getting colder and digs deeper into our bones, making us want to seek the indoors and cuddle under a blanket with hot chocolate rather than be active. But don’t let this weather take the enjoyment of a good days work-out from you. Just because the outside is getting fiercer, doesn’t mean you can’t fight back the lazy desire to hibernate like a bear instead of going on that run. Actually, running in the cold is beneficial because it strengthens your immune system and helps prevent from catching the flu or a cold.
I, like many other people can relate with, love running outside rather than in a gym. It is of course easy to do in the seasons of spring, fall, and summer, but what about winter? The answer is that it is still possible to run outside, but you have to be a little more smart and conscientious about it than you would need for the other seasons because in the winter season it is possible to get sick or hurt your muscles from the cold. So here I have for you are a couple of ways in which to prepare yourself so that when you decide to take that winter run, you don’t hurt yourself or have the worst experience ever.
One of the most important aspects which people completely neglect or overdo is layers. Layers are extremely important to use because you can’t expect to suddenly start running in cold weather with nothing keeping you warm. But once you have a sweat going you need to be able to remove some layers to prevent overheating, which can very much happen. When your body heats up, you sweat and use evaporation in order to cool yourself. So the problem comes when you have tons of layers on and no way to allow your sweat to evaporate, you can make yourself sick. A good set of layers is this: first layer should be a synthetic material, such as polypropylene which draws sweat from the body, but make sure to avoid cotton; next add a layer of fleece or wool for insulation, and lastly put on waterproof breathable outer layer. Remember only to remove layers once you began sweating heavily and it is not below freezing outside where possible frost bite could occur.
When temperatures are really low, make sure to cover up your skin as much as possible. As stated before, you can easily get frostbite or sick if you aren’t wise to protecting yourself. Covering yourself goes beyond layers; make sure that you cover up all of the exposed parts of your body. This includes wearing gloves, a snuggly hat, and some type of way to protect your ears. You can even use Vaseline on your face to reduce against the potential of frost bite if it is cold enough outside. It is better to put too much on and take off if you need to rather than to put on too little and cause yourself injury.
Lastly, make sure to always stretch and warm-up before you go to run on a cold day. This allows your muscles to warm up before you begin to use them and prevents you from possibly causing your muscles to go into shock and tighten from the sudden cold. When the muscles are forcibly contracted, you can accidently pull or injure the muscle more easily. This can also cause cramps or severe aches and pains the next day. It is extremely important, and especially in the colder seasons, to warm-up and stretch before the work-out. It doesn’t need to be long or severe, but enough to just get your body prepared for the cold.
Image: http://www.active.com/Assets/Running/460/Pair+of+Runners+in+the+Snow+460.jpg
Image: http://ellepottsie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Winter-Running.jpg
Image: http://www.healthyhappierbear.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Winter-Running-Tips1.jpg
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Info: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/in-depth/fitness/art-20045626?pg=2
Info: http://www.active.com/running/articles/9-tips-for-running-in-cold-weather
Info: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/How-Warm-Up-Before-Running-Cold-Weather-25878382