Cold weather training brings with it a new set of challenges for the individual. It is important to take care of the body to avoid injuries. What follows will be some important tips to train better in the cold.

1. Dress in layers. Be prepared to remove a layer as the body heats up with activity. Doing this will help reduce the risk of overheating (it can still happen even when it is cold outside). This will also help to make the body more comfortable and reduce excessive sweating and water loss. Be mindful though to not  to not expose too much skin, especially as the temperatures drop.
2. While you may not sweat at much compared to a sunny 85+ degree day, the body still looses moisture. Make sure to drink just as much as you would in the summer.
3. Hat and gloves. Protect as much skin as possible, especially as the temperature drops. Take the necessary steps to prevent frostbite or other cold related injuries.
4. The wind-chill. Recognize that the “real-feel” temperature will be much lower even with a very little bit of wind. While the body will warm up with exercise vigor the skin can still be harmed at that temperature drops.
5. Properly warm up/stretch if going to participate in a more vigorous activity. When it is warm outside, it takes very little to get the muscles loose, warmed up, and ready to go. In the cold it takes a little bit longer…so give yourself the proper time to prepare your body for vigorous activity to avoid muscle injuries.
6. Adjust vigor of activity as needed. Recognize that the body (lungs) may “feel it” more in the cold making it more challenging to put forth the same overall effort. Be ok with that.

Some love cold weather training and exercising in the cold while others do not. If you do enjoy it, take care of your body so that you can enjoy it free from injury.