Chiropractic Health & Wellness Blog

How to Exercise Safely Outdoors In the Winter

Here in our Minneapolis chiropractic office, we see a number of patients with sports-related injuries. While some are due to overuse or pushing too hard, others are a result of the weather. Specifically, winter offers some challenges that you don’t see other times of the year—especially in Minnesota.

Because we get our fair share of cold temperatures, snow, and ice, it’s important to take precautions if you like to exercise outside in the winter months. Here are a few to consider:

• Warm up properly before. Warming up your muscles is advised any time of year, but it is even more critical when it is colder outside. This means taking 5 to 10 minutes at the beginning of your workout and engaging in a light-intensity cardiovascular activity such as walking or riding a stationary bike.
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• Stretch your muscles after. Stretching after you work out outdoors helps keep them from tensing up, which means less pain and soreness in the next few days. Massage can help with soreness as well, so this is something to consider if you are engaging in a high-intensity or long-distance training or event held outdoors that will likely leave you fatigued.
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• Stay hydrated. Although you might not get as thirsty exercising outdoors in the winter as you do in the summer, you’re still losing water through sweat, so it’s important to stay hydrated. For this reason, be sure to take a water bottle with you so you can sip on it as you go.
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• Dress appropriately. Ideally, you want to wear clothes that wick the moisture away from your skin because, as we just discussed, you’re likely going to be sweating despite the colder temps. Also, it’s a good idea to dress in layers so you can keep your body at a healthy temperature throughout your entire workout, from beginning to end.
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• Mind your step. Because snow and ice can be prevalent in this area, you always want to be mindful of where you’re stepping to avoid a slip and fall. Although this is basic common sense, we still wanted to mention it because it is important to consider.

Do these five things and make your winter workouts safer. Also, don’t forget to come into our Minneapolis chiropractic office for your regular visits so we can help keep your spine healthy enough to sustain your active life…even in these colder months!

Lyn Lake Chiropractic Minneapolis Chiropractor - 612-879-8000

Dr. Kevin Schreifels