11 Tips for Running Outdoor During Winter
It’s difficult to motivate yourself to go outside for a stroll during winter season. Bleak weather, snow and ice, short days, chilly winds and cold temperatures make you feel like staying in bed all day.
But it’s important not to hibernate and stay active during winter, especially after the feasts of winter holidays. If you follow a few basic precautions you can overcome the setbacks that winter season brings to running outside.
1. Check the weather first
A strong and chilly wind could cause frostbite or even hypothermia. Be sure to check the weather forecast. Even if it’s nice and clear now, the weather can change fast. If it looks bad it would probably be best to stay inside. You don’t have to act like a hero and go out into a blizzard!
2. Don’t go out when it’s dark
Besides the temperatures dropping fast after sunset, there is also a problem with visibility. Wearing reflective materials could alert drivers of your presence. The best time to run would be just before sunrise.
3. Use the right shoes
You should use special running shoes for winter, designed for snow and ice with thick rubber soles, rubber cleats or even sharp metal spikes.
4. Dress in layers
Wearing three layers of clothes help insulate your body and eliminate moisture.
The base layer is in contact with your skin and it should keep you warm and dry. Any of the following materials are a good choice: polypropylene, silk, polyester, wool. Cotton however should be avoided as it traps moisture and it stays wet.
The mid layer is for insulation. Materials as polyester, wool and fleece would do the job.
The outer layer should be water and wind resistant and should also allow moisture to escape. Gore-Tex is an excellent material but other options that are not so high tech would still perform well.
5. Protect your extremities
Your hands and feet are the most vulnerable to frostbites so make sure you wear proper gloves, socks and shoes. A scarf and hat that covers your ears are also necessary. Research shows that you can loose up to 30% of your body heat through hands and feet and up to 40% through the head.
6. Avoid icy areas
It is best not to go out running if the ground is too icy or snowy. A fall could be very serious especially if you are alone. A cell phone with full batteries is “a must” for any runner in the winter.
7. Hydrate
Even in the cold you loose water through sweat, so be sure to stay well hydrated.
8. Protect against hypothermia
Hypothermia is defined as a significant drop in body core temperature. It starts with shivering, cold sensations, numbness and confusion and leads to lack of coordination, muscle stiffness and unconsciousness.
To protect against hypothermia you should dress in layers, cover your head and mouth, stay dry, especially at your feet, and hydrate.
9. Don’t wander around
Weather changes can be very abrupt so make sure you have places where you can stop and rest or seek shelter if things get to the worst.
10. Go with a friend
Having a friend beside you not only gives you extra security but the company also takes away the boredom and might increase running motivation.
11. Don’t overdue
If you have certain health conditions it would probably be best to avoid such activities.
If you hate the gym, running during the winter can be a healthy and invigorating experience. Even if nature is against you, it’s the difficulties that make it so appealing.
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8 Rules For Exercising
Metabolism and blood circulation maintain our blood temperature at body temperature, which is approximately 37 degrees C or 98.6 degrees F. When the temperature drops, the body starts to shiver, contacting the muscles to stay worm and when the temperature rises, the body starts to sweat to stay cold.
The body also uses energy to keep vital organs functioning. The energy is allocated especially for heart, brain and lungs. The skeletal muscles are always working (except when sleeping), to maintain body position.
The human body uses 1 watt per kilogram of body mass just to stay alive (this effort is named the basel metabolic rate). So, a woman of 55 kilograms who does not move, uses 55 watts continuously, representing about 1100 calories per day.
EXERCISES
To make a diet more effective, a person must complement it with exercises. Aerobic exercises are very useful, for dieting and for good health as well. To be useful, the exercises must be performed 3 – 4 times a week and must maintain a target heart rate of more than 50% of one’s maximum heart rate for 30 minutes.
When speaking of exercises, 8 rules apply referring to diet:
- The diet must contain all the needed macro and micronutrients
- The person must plan a meal or a nutritive supplement at every 3 – 4 hours (4 – 6 meals a day)
- Drink a sufficient quantity of water
- Drink cocktails containing carbohydrates and proteins, after training
- Never skip breakfast, who should be rich in carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals
- Exclude as much as possible sugar, alcohol or other similar products
- The diet should not be very strict (but be careful with products that can’t be refused: chocolate, cookies, etc.)
- Before going to bed, eat something with less calories as possible, to assure a constant and extended flux of aminoacids in blood
Rather small modifications in someone’s lifestyle, modifications that are not time-consuming, can have a significant positive impact on dieting. Usually, these modifications refer to daily activities, like walking rather than driving, climbing stairs instead of taking elevators, etc.
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