Cold weather may cause some people to put aside exercise and other outdoor activities.
But Dr. Travis Frantz, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine with Texas Health Hurst-Euless-Bedford – explains to KERA’s Sam Baker how and why outdoor exercise in winter can be beneficial.
FRANTZ: When you're outdoors in cold weather, your body has to work a little bit harder to maintain its core temperature. And we've shown oftentimes that that can lead to a little bit of an increased burn in calorie expenditure compared to doing the same activity inside. So, you can even get some extra benefit of burning more calories for a very similar activity simply by the fact that your body is also burning energy to maintain its heat, in addition to the exercise activity of your choice that you're performing in the cooler climate.
Additionally, we think there may be some evidence to suggest that could end up leading to converting some body fat into a healthier type of fat, which could burn more calories as well.
And then also that extra strain that your body's going through to maintain its temperature puts a little bit more constraints on your heart in a healthy way. And, vigorous cardiovascular exercise during that cold weather can potentially increase your overall cardiovascular health.
So are there any downsides that you need to be mindful of?
I think as long as you protect yourself with dressing appropriately and in layers and with maybe a performance fabric that whisk away some of that moisture, I think it is very safe to do with minimal downside.
Avoid things like:
- Exposed skin.
- The potential for sunburns or the need to wear sunscreen in that scenario.
- Even if there's snow on the ground, winter weather can be a little bit drier. So, dehydration can be a risk.
- Hypothermia - if it’s bitter cold, you're outside for an extended duration and not paying careful attention.
But with avoiding those extremes and with a little bit of common sense, most of those downsides can be avoided and taken out of the equation.
What should you wear when you exercise in cold weather?
Multiple layers. That way you can adjust throughout your exercise routine depending on how hot or cool you may be feeling. And the ability to do that, both upper body and lower body would be beneficial.
Additionally, I think a performance fabric which kind of is known to kind of wick away the moisture from your sweat can be helpful. That way, that sweat and perspiration doesn't chill on your body and cause any detrimental effects in that way.
So when you say a performance fabric, what specifically are you referring to?
Something like Under Armour-type material or Nike drive, or something from a company like Lululemon or that nature. There’s even a lot of department stores that carry in-house brands of this now where essentially it is a quick drying fabric rather than just cotton, which allows that moisture to not just stay on your body and begin to chill it when you're in cool conditions.
So when trying to decide what kind of activities to pursue and whether it's really just up to you and what you like to do.
I would agree with that. And if it's something where you find that exercising outside in the cold is not something you're committed to and you end up not exercising at all because of that, then certainly I would stick with your indoor routine.
But if you could incorporate some outdoor activity or outdoor winter exercise into what you like to do, and you can be compliant with that, and do it regularly, it certainly may have some physical health benefits.
One additional thing…
One additional thing outside of the physical health benefits would also be the mental benefits of exercising outside. There's strong data regarding that.
It helps to decrease seasonal affective disorder just by the fact that you're outside potentially in nature, running through the city or a trail.
All of those things can help release neurotransmitters and endorphins, which can lead to a boost in mood overall and allow for improvement with what a lot of us struggle with, which is some sadness or depression or seasonal affective disorder in the colder months of the year.
RESOURCES:
- How Cold Weather Affects the Body During Exercise
- How to Stay Active in Cold Weather
- How Cold Is Too Cold to Run Outside?
- Tips for Outdoor Exercise in Cold Temperatures
- Exercising outdoors in winter
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