Training outside presents a problem for many women when winter comes. But the cold shouldn’t put you off from continuing to do what you love. That’s why women have to dress for the occasion. As to how exactly to do that, we have an article explaining that.
Put On Multiple Layers of Clothing
No doubt certain regions are colder than others in the winter. But that doesn’t mean you can’t cope with extremely cold weather and work out outside.
What every woman should do to make sure the cold doesn’t become too big of an issue is layering. Layering means wearing clothes that help you regulate your body temperature by combining said clothing.
The obvious benefits of doing that, apart from regulating body temperature, are keeping your skin moisture-free, and keeping you warm.
You can dress accordingly with each layer to pull this off. There are three layers to focus on – base layer, mid layer, and outer layer. Each layer will allow you to easily exercise in nature to continue looking after your wellbeing.
The base layer gets in direct contact with your skin. Thus, every woman should wear tight-fitting clothes from polyester, silk, or wool to keep her warm and dry.
The mid layer goes on top of the base layer and includes wearing clothing such as collars, cuffs, and zippers that help carry the moisture from the base layer.
And the last layer, the outer layer, is made out of clothing such as jackets. The choice of material should be Gore-Tex – waterproof material that helps moisture escape.
Accessories For Your Hands, Head, and Toes
Layering will help you protect your core, but it won’t protect your hands, head, or toes. Thus, a very important part of your winter outdoor exercise dressing should be to protect these three parts.
If you didn’t know, most of the body heat is stored in the toes. Thus, you should protect them at all costs. Women looking to exercise outside should wear proper socks. You should be looking at socks made from wool. The material is great for preventing blisters and excellent for keeping your toes dry.
Our head is also another part of the body that stores quite a lot of heat. Much like our toes, protecting the head is essential when working out in the winter. Thus, the easiest way to protect your head from the cold is to put on a beanie.
Headbands and scarfs will also achieve similar results. Women should know to cover the nose with a scarf or neck warmer. Doing this will shield you from the cold and keep you warm as you exhale.
As for your hands, winter mittens or gloves will do the trick. Now, let’s look at a couple of ways to prepare for outdoor exercising in the winter.
Before You Exercise, Warm Up
Warming up is important before doing any sort of physical activity. But this is even more important when training outside in the winter. The cold contracts our muscles, making them stiff and less flexible.
If you immediately start exercising before warming up, you will cause plenty of problems. Thus, every woman should know that warming up is an essential part of outdoor exercising in the winter.
To effectively warm up before training, spend 10 to 15 minutes working on your muscles. From stretches to light running and lunges, there are all kinds of exercises that help you warm up.
Pace Yourself
While we know how to dress for outdoor winter exercising, you should know that getting a decent workout in the winter is more difficult. The cold can put off any woman from the beginning with her training in the first place.
And most can’t last a full session at first. So that’s why we recommend you pace yourself before you get the hang of it. To do that, set goals and objectives you want to accomplish. Start small and gradually increase the scope of your exercise.
Don’t be afraid to take a break as winter outdoor exercising is a different type of animal.
Shorter But Frequent Sessions
And the last tip we’ll give you is to do shorter but frequent sessions. The benefits of doing this are many. For starters, it will allow you to gradually build a tolerance for the cold weather. Instead of running the usual track, try to shorten it by half.
You’d be surprised to find out just how much more calories your body is burning when trying to keep you warm. So in a sense, you won’t need to run the whole track at first.
