Cold Weather

The biggest danger when you are training in cold weather is exposure. Wind and cold can make your skin freeze and give you frostbite. Retaining your body heat and protecting exposed skin are crucial when you exercise outdoors or participate in outdoor sports like skiing, skating, ice hockey or late-season football.

Here are some tips to remember when you are training in cold climates:

• Wear layers of clothes that keep your body heat and moisture in. Wear a windbreaker. You can add or shed layers to warm up and cool down.

• Move your exercise or sports activities indoors to avoid the cold.

• If you are a runner, jogger, or walker, check road conditions for ice or snow that can put you at risk of falling.

• In winter, it gets dark earlier, so wear reflective material on your clothes if you run outside.

• After exercise, immediately change out of your damp, sweaty clothes.

If you have asthma or angina, cold weather may make your symptoms worse. To decrease this, modify the temperature of the cold air you breathe. You can wear a scarf over your mouth and nose. Try breathing in through your nose. Your nose warms the air before it goes into your lungs.

Cold weather also tends to tighten muscles more. Stretching is always important, especially when you come in from the cold to an indoor sports facility. Do not assume that just because you have moved to a warmer environment that you do not need to stretch.

For more information on common injuries of the active individual, visit ActivePain.com. Check out Active Pain Council's Diagnostic Tool. This tool allows the active individual to further analyze injuries and take strides to prevent such pain in the future.