Winterize Your Walk

Follow these simple steps to prevent Old Man Winter from putting the kibosh on your outdoor walking workouts.

For most people, outdoor cardio exercise may be safer in cooler weather than on hot, humid days. Your body temperature rises as you walk, so when it's sultry outside, you're getting a double dose of heat. When it turns cold, on the other hand, you can regulate your internal temperature more easily. If you get too hot while you're working out, just slow your pace, open your jacket, or take off your hat or gloves. You'll solve the problem instantly.

Take Care When the Temp Drops

On chilly days, some of us need to take extra precautions before venturing out for cardio exercise. If you have any kind of heart problem, for example, you should consult your doctor before working out in the cold. As the air temperature drops, your body responds by constricting blood vessels, a process that pulls blood toward the trunk to feed your internal organs. When this happens, exercising puts extra strain on your heart as it tries to pump blood to your extremities.

Walking can relieve some of this strain by dilating blood vessels in your legs. The trick is to warm up slowly, to allow your body to adjust to the coldness. If you don't warm up when it's freezing outside, you could set yourself up for angina (severe chest pain) or a heart attack, says Roger Fielding, PhD, assistant professor in the department of health sciences at Boston University. That's why people have heart attacks when shoveling snow.

When you warm up, do it indoors, before exposing your body to the cold air. This reduces the strain on your heart, because your blood vessels become dilated. You'll feel better about going outside, too, because you'll be warm already.

Cold-weather cardio exercise can also be risky for people with diabetes. Because walking in the cold burns more calories to increase warmth, it steps up the body's demands for blood sugar (glucose). While this is a plus for most folks, it can cause those with diabetes to become hypoglycemic. If you have diabetes, ask your doctor for advice on managing your medications or your food intake to regulate your blood sugar level while you exercise.

You also need to be concerned about developing frostbite, as people with diabetes tend to have poor circulation in their extremities. Warm socks, gloves, and a hat are essential. If you experience loss of feeling in your feet or fingers while walking, head indoors as soon as you can and check whether your skin looks blue. This condition, called cyanosis, is the first sign of frostbite. You need to see your doctor immediately.

Frigid temperatures don't mix well with asthma either. If you have this respiratory condition, you already know that inhaling cold air can trigger an attack. (In fact, some people experience asthma-related breathing problems only when they work out in cold weather.) Wearing a mask or scarf over your nose and mouth can help prevent an attack by warming up the air before it reaches your bronchial tubes. That way, the tubes are less likely to go into spasm. If covering your nose and mouth doesn't help, consult your doctor for advice on adjusting your medication for cold-weather cardio exercise.

In fact, if you have any chronic health problem, you may want to check with your doctor before you do cardio exercise in the cold. He can tell you what precautions to take, if any. Or he may advise you to do your walking indoors.

Layers Keep Out the Cold

If you are heading outdoors, you need to dress for the chilly temperatures. Twenty years ago, that would have meant donning flannel underwear, a wool sweater, wool pants, a heavy wool coat, and thick wool socks to protect you from the cold. You'd be so bundled up that you could barely move.

These days, when you dress for wintry conditions, less is more. Thanks to an array of high-tech textiles, you can be warm and dry and still have freedom of movement. New fabrics insulate, block the wind, and wick away moisture without bulk or heaviness.

Still, dressing in layers is your best bet. That way, you can adjust your attire as you go, according to the weather and your level of activity. For the innermost layer (the one closest to your skin), choose light garments made from a synthetic fabric such as polypropylene, which wicks away perspiration from your body. That should be topped off with an insulating layer--a sweater, a sweatshirt, or a fleece pullover--for warmth. For the outermost layer, or shell, you want a garment that protects you from wind and rain. The fabric should be waterproof, as opposed to water-resistant (which is designed to keep you dry in a light mist). It should also be breathable--meaning that it allows water vapor to escape without actually letting water in.

The new synthetic fabrics do a better job of keeping you warm and dry than either wool or cotton. When you're shopping for cold-weather cardio exercise wear, read clothing labels and try on a variety of garments to get a sense of what's out there. You'll be amazed at how comfortable you can be, even at extremely cold temperatures.

Continue for more ways to Winterize Your Walks


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