by Rick Kelly

Created on: November 14, 2008   Last Updated: December 10, 2008

As winter approaches and the temperature drops, so does the interest to get outside and exercise. The weather is colder, the days are shorter, and depending on where you live, there will be ice and snow. However, the health benefits of a winter workout far outweigh the inconvenience. Exercising out in the cold makes your body work harder, which means your heart has to pump blood faster to keep up with the more intense exercise. In addition to strengthening your heart, exercise in cold weather also burns more calories.

There are plenty of opportunities to exercise outside in the winter which include hiking, sledding, skiing, skating, and shoveling snow. Because any cold weather activity requires more energy, even just playing around outside becomes exercise when you are burning up to 420 calories per hour. Other outdoor activities like winter hiking can burn up to 735 calories per hour. Winter hiking is also a great way to build muscle strength in the abdominal muscles and legs.

Snowfall or not, the best way to get ready for a cold weather workout is to dress appropriately. Find out what the wind chill factor is first and then make sure that you dress in layers. Ideally, you'll want to put on an under layer of a synthetic material to wick away moisture, an insulating layer of a natural fiber like wool, and a waterproof outer layer of nylon. Along with properly insulated shoes, gloves, a hat, and a scarf, you will be able to get in a good workout without getting wet or cold.

A cold weather workout always starts with a warm-up indoors. This will get your muscles limber, your heart going, and help you exercise more efficiently. After your work out, make sure to get inside to avoid any drastic drop in body heat that could lead to hypothermia. While there are many different ways to exercise outside in the winter, here is a sample of a one hour exercise program to get you started:

INSIDE WARM UP
-Five minutes to stretch the lower back, front thighs, calves, and hamstrings. This will prevent injury and get you mentally prepared to go outside.
-Three minutes running in place or jumping jacks. This will get your heart started and your body temperature higher for a more efficient work out.

OUTSIDE EXERCISE
-Fifteen minutes of brisk walking to get to an area like a neighborhood park or a basketball court where you can do some strength training.
-Twenty minutes of stationary strength training including squat thrusts, calf raises, lunges and other lower body exercises. This workout mainly focuses on the lower body because getting down on the ground will be too wet and cold. However, feel free to bring light jogging weights and use playground equipment for exercises like pull-ups if equipment is available.
-Fifteen minutes of brisk walking back to the indoors and a two minute stretch completes the workout.

This exercise program will leave you invigorated, happily exhausted and if done regularly, much more fit. Outdoor hiking is just one of the many workouts you can do outside when it gets cold. In fact, with the natural resistance from the cold weather, even walking your dog for an hour becomes a high calorie-burning, heart-strengthening workout that will definitely benefit your overall well-being and health.

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