The medical director of Hamilton County Public Health says it's still OK to exercise when temperatures plunge. Dr. Steve Feagins says before you start that New Year’s jogging resolution, there are some things to think about.
“I think anything is pretty safe in 30-minute chunks. I look for 30 minutes. I also look for [a] double hat; something around the neck to keep the neck warm. Certainly gloves, layers,” he says. “And most importantly when you finish, you come right inside. You don’t walk around while you’re all sweaty.”
Feagins’ been a runner for about 20 years. He runs when it gets cold, but he tries to limit his outdoor exercise to that half-hour.
The idea is to stay warm and avoid hypothermia.
“Hypothermia is when your core temperature — that’s the vital organs — gets below 95 degrees, or an unintended decrease of four degrees from what is the normal, or core temperature,” he says.
He says with hypothermia, the body will start shutting off blood flow to extremities, to protect the essentials.
That can lead to frostbite.
Feagins says otherwise, cold weather exercise can be a lot like hot weather.
“Dehydration is as much a risk factor for heat illness as it is cold illness. Hydrating with water is a good thing, maybe even a little carbohydrate drink.”
Feagins says national athletic trainer associations shy away from recommending outdoor exercise when the temperature falls to zero. He says the advice for athletes in the cold also applies to non-athletes when it comes to activities like shoveling snow.
“If you think about the upper extremity and what you have to do, it’s hard enough — go out and try to dig in the ground,” he says. “When you add cold weather that you’re breathing in, you’re putting a double effort on the heart.”
He says it gets easier the further into winter we get.
“It’s a little more dangerous early in the season like right now than later,” he says. “If you think about it, the same cold that you feel right now, that temperature is going to feel just fine because you acclimated a little bit.”
Feagins says that's how participants in the Iditarod sled race in Alaska spend so much time in the elements: they're acclimated.
Ultimately, he says you should check with your doctor.
Read more:
