Looks like cold weather has finally arrived. If you exercise outdoors in cold weather, you need to take certain steps to stay safe.
- Avoid hypothermia, which is excessive loss of body heat. Layers of clothing keep you warm and give you the ability to control your body heat while exercising. A hat or helmet is crucial, because you can lose about 50 percent of your body heat through your head when the temperature is at the freezing mark.
Wear gloves and warm footwear. Lower air temperatures cause the body to shift blood away from the extremities to the center of the body to warm and protect the internal organs.- Before going outside, check the air temperature and wind chill factor. If your skin is properly covered, there is little danger when the temperature is 20 degrees Fahrenheit, even if there is a 30 miles-per-hour wind. However, exposed skin is in danger when the wind chill factor (a combination of air temperature and wind) falls below minus 20 degrees.
SOURCE: American Council on Exercise
