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When outside temperatures drop, working out outdoors becomes unappealing. Who wants to get their sweat on, only to have it freeze to their leggings? Don’t sacrifice your workout just because the mercury drops. There are several steps you can take to protect your body and get the most out of your workout, no matter the climate.
Working out in cold weather can be tricky. A drop in temperature seems to signal a time for eating and hibernating, not running or weight lifting. Avoid snowy day lethargy by understanding how your body works during a cold temperature workout.
Photo: Nigel Barker
The keys to cold weather workouts are to dress in layers and stay hydrated.
When it is cold outside, our bodies do whatever they can to stay warm. The easiest method for increasing body temperature is to provide fuel. Eating and digesting food heats up core temperatures (which could explain all of those pumpkin spiced muffin cravings), but isn’t always the best go-to when you’re feeling chilly and trying to stay in shape. Enter: the wintertime workout!
During a workout, body temperature increases. As muscles warm up, your heart pumps harder, and blood circulates throughout the body, raising the core temperature. In order to prevent body temperature from rising too high, the hypothalamus, the part of the brain responsible for many metabolic processes including monitoring and managing body temperature, sends out signals to create a sweat response. Even when outside temperatures are below freezing, internal body temperatures heat up during exercise. This is where dressing in layers become increasingly important.
As soon as you start sweating, remove layers. As your sweat evaporates, it can leave you feeling chilled. Combat this by dressing in sweat wicking clothing layered with breathable fleece or wool and avoid cotton as it stays wet against your skin. Properly insulated, you may be able to work out harder in cooler temperatures than warmer weather, simply because the cooler air keeps you from overheating quite so quickly. And as a huge bonus, you can burn more calories during your workout since your body has to work harder to keep you warm!
Studies have shown that cold temperatures can turn what is known as white fat, or white adipose tissue, into brown fat or brown adipose tissue (BAT). This brown fat goes to work burning calories in order to generate heat. BAT plays a pretty important metabolic role and can help with weight loss, and a colder environment can stimulate BAT production.
Proper hydration during working out is always important, but during a cold weather workout, it isn’t as intuitive to keep drinking. Every breath of cold, dry air, is warmed and humidified inside the body, causing the loss of hydration with every exhale, which can lead to dehydration. Dehydration negatively affects the overall effectiveness of your workout, and can prevent you from burning as many calories as you would while hydrated, leaving you feeling depleted, exhausted, and even sick. Stay at peak performance by keeping hydrated.
Working out in cold temperatures can have amazing fat burning benefits, help your heart stay healthy, and keep you feeling great all winter long.
-by Reyna Abraham