During the week between Christmas and New Years, exercising might be the last thing on some peoples’ minds.
But doctors say getting out in the elements can be good for you — if you take the proper steps this winter.
“Patients will often, you know, stop exercising or significantly reduce their levels of exercise during the colder months,” said Dr. Jennifer Gourdin, a family medicine doctor and sports medicine physician with Kaiser Permanente in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Gourdin said you should strive for 30 minutes of exercise per day, even if it’s just light movement, this season.
For those heading outside, she said proper attire is important.
“You want to have your head and your ears covered,” Gourdin explained. “You want to have your hands covered, you know, wear some gloves and make sure that your feet are covered properly.”
“Make sure that you wear sunscreen,” she added. “I think sometimes, patients forget that. You know, it’s the winter, but the sun is still out there. And so we need to protect our skin.”
Gourdin also cautions: Avoid late night or early morning exercise when visibility is impaired. If you have to go out when it’s dark, wear reflective gear to stay safe.
Gourdin told WTOP that exercising in the elements can be a breeze — if you’re chill about stretching this winter.
“I typically recommend for patients to do what’s called dynamic stretching before they begin to exercise,” she said.
Cold weather causes muscles to get tighter in general, she said, and get tighter more quickly, so a good warm up is important.
“Things like squats, or high knees, legs … lunges, maybe some jumping jacks, or some butt kicks, toe taps, arm circles,” she elaborated, when asked for dynamic stretching examples.
She said movements like A-skips, B-skips, similar to what track athletes do, are good examples.
After your workout, Gourdin said you want to static stretch.
“That’s where you’re doing the stretch and hold,” she said. “So things like bending over and touching your toes, or pulling your arm across your chest.”
For winter runners, she said: “You want to change your your shoes every approximately 300 miles.”
Gourdin said that those thirty daily minutes of movement, even just walking—especially when the exercise is outside — can prevent cardiovascular, blood sugar, muscle, and upper respiratory problems this season and later in life.
