Layer it Up!

This is a re-post from Decem­ber 2010. The arti­cle con­tains good info and the com­ments are fun to read. It’s like a time capsule!

BY MARY ELLEN

A Christmas StoryWith the fore­cast tak­ing a turn for the chilly, here are a cou­ple tips on ways to keep warm and work out safely when it’s cooool­l­l­l­l­l­lld­ddd out­side. These tips are cour­tesy of the Mayo Clinic.

Dress in Lay­ers
One of the biggest mis­takes you can make while exer­cis­ing in cold weather is to dress too warmly. Exer­cise gen­er­ates a con­sid­er­able amount of heat — enough to make you feel like it’s much warmer than it really is. Yet, once your sweat starts to dry, you can get chilled. The solution?

Dress in lay­ers that you can remove as soon as you start to sweat and then put back on as needed. First, put on a thin layer of syn­thetic mate­r­ial, such as polypropy­lene, which draws sweat away from your body. Avoid cot­ton, which stays wet next to your skin. Next, add a layer of fleece or wool for insu­la­tion. Top this with a water­proof, breath­able outer layer. A heavy down jacket or vest may cause you to over­heat if you’re exer­cis­ing hard. If you’re lean, you may need more insu­la­tion than some­one who is heav­ier. If it’s very cold, con­sider wear­ing a face mask or scarf to warm the air before it enters your lungs.

Pro­tect Your Hands, Feet and Ears
When it’s cold, blood flow is con­cen­trated on your body’s core, leav­ing your hands and feet vul­ner­a­ble to frost­bite. Try wear­ing a thin pair of gloves under a pair of heav­ier gloves or mit­tens lined with wool or fleece. Don the mit­tens or gloves before your hands become cold and then remove them if your hands begin to sweat. (For boot camp, con­sider invest­ing in a pair of water­proof gloves!)

Do you have any other tips or tricks for stay­ing warm in the cold? Share your ideas by click­ing “Com­ments” above.

IMAGE CREDIT “A Christ­mas Story”

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