How Cold Is Too Cold to Get Moving Outdoors?
When deciding how long is safe to stay outdoors in extreme cold, good judgment is often the best overall approach. Factors such as temperature and wind chill can change the duration. The National Weather Service has a helpful chart to show how quickly you can get frostbite in different conditions. According to Kettering Health, if the temperature falls to 18 degrees below zero with wind chill factor or colder, you should skip your outdoor workout. If you have heart issues, cold weather exercise can strain your heart, forcing it to beat faster to maintain circulation and causing your blood pressure to rise. The American Heart Association cautions that heart failure is the most common cause of hypothermia-related deaths and recommends taking frequent breaks so as not to overtax the heart. Extremely cold temps can also put strain on your lungs—you may notice coughing, wheezing, and tightness in the chest when being active outside in frigid air (wearing a scarf over your nose and mouth to warm up the air you’re breathing can help with this).
Risks to Watch Out For
Awareness of potential problems is key—frostbite, frostnip, and hypothermia are three common cold-weather conditions to know about if you like to exercise outdoors. Frostnip is essentially a milder form of frostbite that’s also caused by continued exposure to cold air and can result in numbness or tingling in the exposed area. It’s more of a superficial skin irritation, often with redness, but it won’t cause a lasting problem or damage—go inside, get warm, and you’ll be OK. Frostbite is actual damage to the skin and tissues underneath your skin from exposure to freezing air, usually affecting smaller, exposed areas of the body, like fingers and toes. If you see white patches on your skin or start to feel pain, it’s time to head inside, advises William O. Roberts, MD, a professor and director of program in sports medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Numbness is a typical early symptom of both frostnip and frostbite that shouldn’t be ignored. “Numbness in the extremities, fingers or toes, is an indication that blood is not reaching those areas,” explains Pete McCall, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, host of the All About Fitness podcast, and author of Smarter Workouts: The Science of Exercise Made Simple. “During cold exposure, the body will send more blood to protect vital organs and reduce circulation at the extremities.” This can be serious, so if you suspect frostbite, it’s wise to see a doctor. Hypothermia is another serious condition (a medical emergency that can actually be deadly) that occurs when your body temperature drops below 95-degrees Fahrenheit due to prolonged exposure to freezing air or freezing water (normal body temp is around 98.6). Essentially, your body is losing heat faster than it can produce it. Hypothermia symptoms include shivering, slurring speech, slow breathing, and mental confusion. If you notice any of these signs, or other unusual symptoms, get medical help ASAP. It sounds extreme, but hypothermia can happen in any cold climate (read: You don’t have to be exploring Antarctica to be at risk). But don’t panic—you definitely don’t need to swear off winter activities forever. “As long as someone can exercise with proper clothing to minimize skin exposure (at extreme temps) and stay hydrated, exercising in the cold is not a major issue,” McCall says. If you love to exercise outdoors in cold weather, here are more critical tips from health experts for keeping warm and safe from harm next time you venture out. “Air movement removes heat faster, so use an outer layer of wind-proof clothing,” says Phillip Bishop, professor emeritus of exercise science at the University of Alabama and the co-author of Fit Over Fifty. He adds to cover up the parts of your body with “high surface area, and low mass,” like the tips of your nose, ears, toes, and fingers (he recommends mittens rather than gloves). Look for outdoor winter workout gear with features like thermal lining, sweat-wicking technology, insulation, wind-proof, and water-proof or -repellent materials. Get yourself a hat or warm, ear-covering headband, too, since lots of your body heat is lost through your head. RELATED: 3 Low-Impact Types of Exercise That Relieve Stress While Building Strength
