How to Exercise in the Cold

When it's cold outside, it can be difficult to leave your cozy home and just walk outside, let alone spend time out there exercising. But if you're bored with the gym and need another outlet, consider the great outdoors. After a while, you get used to the weather, and you'll probably feel exhilarated and energized when you're done. Check with your doctor before you venture out in the cold; people with heart problems, asthma or Raynaud's disease might need to take special care. Also, if the temperature is below 0 F, stay indoors.

1. Dress in layers. It might seem unimaginable that you'd be running around in a short-sleeved T-shirt in winter weather, but if you exercise hard enough, you might. When you dress in layers, if you do become warm, you can shed the excess clothing and stay comfortable for the duration of your exercise routine. When you start sweating, it's time to remove your jacket, for example. Otherwise, once the sweat dries, you will become chilled. The layer of clothing next to your body should be one that wicks the sweat away. Avoid wearing cotton next to your body. Wear a fleece jacket or sweatshirt over the first layer. If needed, wear a waterproof layer on top. 
2. Cover your face, ears, hands and feet. If it is extremely cold outside, near 0 F, you might need a face mask to prevent you from breathing in freezing cold air. Wear a hat that covers your ears or a headband. Put on thin gloves and heavier wool mittens or gloves over them. Wear thick,thermal socks over thin ones. Exposed skin, especially on the fingers, toes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin, is subject to frostbite, a condition that occurs when the skin freezes. The first sign is that skin feels extremely cold; it then hurts, tingles or burns. The next step is numbness, followed by frozen skin that occurs when the skin's temperature reaches 27 F. Frostbite could leave your skin sensitive to cold weather, result in permanent numbness or lead to gangrene, a condition that occurs from the tissue dying. 
3. Understand hypothermia. Exercising in the cold can be dangerous because you could get hypothermia, a condition in which the body temperature falls below 95 F. This condition can be fatal. Symptoms include drowsiness, weakness, loss of coordination, pale skin, confusion, uncontrollable shivering, slowed heart rate, lethargy, cardiac arrest and coma. If you or someone you know displays any of these symptoms after being out in the cold, call 911 immediately. Get inside, or if that is impossible, wrap yourself with a blanket, and cover your head and neck. Drink warm, sweetened fluids, and apply warm compresses to the groin, chest and neck.