How to effectively train during cold and rainy weather

Exercising outdoors can be tricky now that the cold weather and rain is becoming a norm. With current weather changes, that shouldn’t give you an excuse not to hit it hard on your workout. Here are few suggestions to prepare and protect yourself during such cold weather:

Monitor your fluid intake/fluid loss:

Many people often think they do not need to hydrate now and then simply because it’s cold. You may not sweat as much but they somehow remove a fair amount of fluid through your rapid breathing therefore there is an increase in respiratory water loss when exercising in the cold.

Once you know this, it is important to maintain fluid consumption to maintain your thermo-regulation and especially during regular workout.

Warming up:

Warms ups are supposed to done before starting any intense conditioning workout and especially during cold conditions. It should take a bit longer than usual to prepare the body and muscles fully keeping them warm and ready for next exertion.

Wear warmer cloths to reduce the chances at which the body losses heat. If you don’t warm up accordingly, chances of injuries like muscle pulls and muscles spasms are high because sufficient oxygen will not be passing through the exercised muscles as required.

Keep yourself dry:

Change your wet clothes whether you’ve been rained on or have been sweating during exercise. It is important to do this because wet clothing somehow loses its insulating value and allows your body to loss heat rapidly. Change to something warmer or else carry a spare t-shirt when necessary to keep yourself warm.

Stretch:

Always stretch before you go out or after doing warm ups. Do this to fully activate your internal motor which is usually impaired during cold or rainy weather. Stretch to avoid such things as injuries, falls and sprains.

Don’t over train:

When it is cold, the cold weather can put immense strain on the heart because low temperature causes your blood vessels and arteries to narrow therefore restricting the rate at which the blood flow in the body reducing oxygen supply to the heart.

Overexertion during such weather puts an added strain on the heart because your heart struggles to pump harder in order circulate enough oxygenated blood through the constricted blood vessels. This increases your blood pressure and with this sudden spike, you increase your risk for heart attack, unstable chest pains and even stroke.

Always make sure you observe the above as a safety measure to properly maintain your internal temperature during cold weather and to keep your performance on top notch.