Don`t let winter`s chill send you into hibernation and disrupt your fitness, bicycling or walking regimen. As long as you take proper health precautions, winter workouts can be exhilarating and add variety to your regular exercise routine, fitness experts say.
”There are so many fun things to do that you can`t do the rest of the year,” says Patrick Ege, cross-country ski specialist for Erewhon Outfitters in Chicago. ”Cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowshoeing.”
”Besides,” adds Sue Nebel, president of the Chicago Area Runners Association, ”maintaining your exercise routine during these short days of winter enhances your mood and makes you feel good. When you don`t let the elements get you down, you feel in much more control of your life.”
Although the weather shouldn`t stop your fitness routine, it is important to exercise extra health precautions during cold-weather training, according to Fred Caito, Chicago Bears head trainer, and Dr. John Longano, a physician in Northwestern Memorial Hospital`s emergency room.
They say stretching, which is important in warm weather, is crucial in winter because cold muscles have a tendency to pull more easily.
And watch out for ice on streets, sidewalks and running paths.
”Especially women who run the risk of osteoporosis,” says Longano. ”This is prime hip-fracture season.”
”The most difficult weather is when there has been ice and then it snows,” says Nebel. ”You can`t see the ice patches.” Nebel suggests running in the cleared or salted streets.
As for the wind, which intensifies winter`s chill, Nebel suggests running into the wind when you begin your workout and your body is still cold.
”I`ve found that turning into the wind after I`ve warmed up chills me,” she says. If the wind is really blowing, Nebel will even get a ride to the starting point of her run so that the wind can be at her back through the entire workout.
Finally, common sense is important. ”This is probably not the time of year to launch your marathoning career,” says Longano, who sees many out-of- shape people overexert themselves in winter.
Indeed, anyone who hasn`t been maintaining a consistent exercise program over the years should be checked by a physician before beginning one, says Longano.
He adds that as for temperature limitations, everyone has a particular cutoff point.
Caito remembers the coldest Bears game he attended-47 degrees below zero, including the wind-chill factor-against Minnesota in 1971.
Which is not to say Caito likes that kind of weather. He reminds readers that even the Bears practice indoors when the weather gets truly frightful.
