How to Keep Active and Exercised in Winter

Feb. 5, 2002 — -- Wintry weather can make it challenging to exercise outside, as low temperatures raise the risks for everything from frostbite and muscle pulls to slips on icy sidewalks.

To find out how to face the cold safely, ABCNEWS.com asked three of its sports medicine experts to provide tips on how get the most out of your winter workout without injury.

Dr. David Stone is an orthopedist at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Sports Medicine, Gordon Blackburn is an exercise physiologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Mike Dupper is an exercise science professor at the University of Mississippi. Here's what they suggest:

1. Dress in Layers

Before you go outside, be sure to bundle up — that means wearing a hat, gloves, and perhaps even shoe liners in addition to regular socks. Experts also recommend avoiding cotton workout gear, because cotton tends to keep moisture at the level of the skin and has a cooling effect. "What we recommend is people wear layers with a synthetic layer closest to the skin, and then they can put wool above them if they want to do that," advises Stone. "People should wear some type of wind resistant outer garment, like Gortex, so that they're preventing what's called "convection," which is where a wind blowing past a person will remove heat from their body."

2. Keep Skin Covered

It's not only important to pay attention to the temperature outside, but it's essential to protect against the wind chill as well by limiting skin exposure. "If the wind chill is under 25 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, exposed skin can freeze in about one minute," explains Blackburn. "So the key is to make sure all of your skin is covered as the temperature drops."

3. Wear Sneakers With Good Traction

To help prevent slips and falls, take a look at the sole and heel to see whether it has enough tread. If it's smooth on the bottom, don't run in them on ice or snow. "Wearing trail running shoes with more aggressive tread than normal sneaker's helps to reduce the risk of slipping," says Dupper.

4. Warm Up Muscles

To prevent injury in cold weather, warm up muscles indoors first before venturing outside. "When a muscle is cold, it's less pliable, and you're more likely to cause a muscle pull," says Blackburn.

5. Set Sensible Goals

Try to set a reasonable limit to the length of your total outdoor workout to avoid over-exposure. "Some of the more famous cases of frostbite have to do with people going out and running or cross-country ski-ing too far, and then being in a situation where they become cold, have some sensory changes, and don't realize what they were doing," says Stone. "And then they get into trouble as a consequence." Experts say it is usually safe for well-dressed runners to exercise for 20 to 60 minutes in the cold, but if the temperature or wind chill factor is below zero degrees Fahrenheit, workouts should be shortened to avoid frostbite and hypothermia.

6. Cover Your Mouth

Covering your mouth while exercising for easier breathing and to avoid an asthma attack. Cold, dry air can irritates the throat and airway passages, so it may be beneficial to wear a loose fitting mask or scarf that will help warm the air and humidify it before it gets down into the lungs.

7. Beware of Icy Sidewalks

Simply avoiding slippery patches will help increase safety significantly. "The largest risk for winter joggers is injury from falls on snow or ice," says Dupper.

8. Drink Plenty of Fluids

Winter is no different than warm weather when it comes to hydrating yourself, even though you may not appear to be sweating as much and losing fluids. Experts recommend taking in about 8 ounces of fluid for every 15 minutes of exercise, and remember to hydrate beforehand.

9. Stay in Good Condition

Most of us exercise less during the winter months, and being out of shape can quickly put you out of commission if you try to work out at your regular level after you've had some "time off." "People should be in condition when they go out, and they shouldn't be trying to run too far, too fast," says Stone.

10. Don't Radically Change Your Routine

When it comes to your exercise routine, experts say to chill out and go easy on the mileage during cold weather. "You shouldn't change your time or mileage by more than 10 percent, on a weekly basis, says Dupper. "You have to consider the fact that your body will be under more stress in the cold. It can be a pretty radical change ... it takes awhile for the body to adjust to the temperature."