Friday, April 04, 2008
Sports & Fitness
It's freezing out there, but for many city road warriors the call to the outdoors can't be avoided.
“Throughout the week I try to fit in at least one day outdoors. Like a nice run at the reservoir,” says New Yorker Cary Gruber.
“I think it's great coming outside. It's refreshing and being indoors all week whether it's work and working out indoors. If you're going to come outside once or twice a week, it's great. It's just great to stimulate your mind that way,” says Stephen Donnelly.
But before attacking the cold, their trainer, Rocky Feder has some tips on how to ward off the deep freeze. Tip number one? Layers. Wear at least three that you can peel off and put back on.
Cold weather tips
Just because it's finally cold outside, doesn't mean you and your work-out sneakers should go into hibernation mode. Health reporter Kafi Drexel has more on how to avoid the big chill.
“You need to get a micro-fibered fabric,” says Feder. “A synthetic fabric, not cotton as your first layer on your skin that will wick away perspiration. You're second layer should be your insulator, maybe fleece or polartech. And then you'll need a third layer on your outside to shield you from the wind the rain, the snow, whatever elements you've got going outside.”
You're also going to want to follow the rules your mom always gave you and wear a hat. Experts say that's where most of your heat escapes.
Once you've got all that under wraps, Feder recommends an extra long warm-up compared to what you'd normally do when temperatures are higher.
“Your warm-up should be at least 10-12 minutes, if not even a little bit longer when you're working out outside in cold temperatures,” says Feder. “You do so to warm up your muscles, your ligaments, your joints, tendons, everything is going to take a little longer to warm-up, get your heart rate up and also get your lungs ready for all this cold air that they'll be taking in.”
And when it's this cold outside what you do after your workout is just as important as the warm-up before.
St. Vincent's emergency doctor Debra Lee says exercising in the cold is fine if you can tolerate it, but once you've finished you better cover up again.
“It's really important to remember that you're body has used up a lot of energy stores, not just in your usual exercise, but also in trying to maintain your temperature,” says Lee. “It can become much more susceptible to cold weather at that point. So it's really important to have clothing on hand after you’re done exercising outside to be able to put on, warm back up, get something to drink, etc.”
A cool-down and another good stretch are key after a big cold weather outdoor workout, too. And while the outdoors need not be avoided altogether for people with special health concerns, fitness pros and doctors say anyone with asthma or heart disease should be sure to take it easy and know your limits.