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Exercise Options For
Cooler Weather Training
By Wayne L. Westcott |
Quincy
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As temperatures
cool down, you may consider a different emphasis on your
exercise selection for outdoor activities. For example,
during the hot summer months I prefer bicycling over running
because the faster movement speed provides a more cooling
wind effect when cycling. The greater air flow helps
dissipate body heat and makes for a more pleasant training
session. However, when temperatures drop below 50 degrees,
that same wind flow factor makes cycling a less desirable
outdoor activity for me. My face and hands simply become too
chilled for me to enjoy bicycling at lower temperatures.
So, I typically place a higher priority on running and
hiking during the fall and winter. It is pretty easy to stay
warm running, because this is such a vigorous, high-energy
and heat producing activity. I run on athletic fields as
long as possible (until the snow comes) because the grassy
surface is much softer than the asphalt roads. However, I
have found hiking in wooded areas very similar to running
with respect to staying warm, even in cold weather.
I hike in the Blue Hills, where the trees and hilly terrain
block the wind and typically reduce the wind chill to a
non-factor. It is seldom too cold to enjoy a forest hike,
and I never need more than a sweatshirt and sweatpants to
stay warm during a two-hour trek. Of course, there is no
better time to hike than during peak foliage season in the
month of October.
Obviously, outdoor swimming is not recommended when the
water temperature drops below the bearable. But fall is a
great time to enjoy watercraft activities such as canoeing,
kayaking and rowing. Again, there is something special about
the autumn air, the colorful landscapes and the peaceful
water surface that makes fall canoeing one of my favorite
forms of exercise. As a bonus, paddling and rowing
activities use the upper body and arm muscles, making them
most complementary to running, hiking and biking which
emphasize the leg muscles.
On days when the weather simply is not conducive to outdoor
exercise, make sure you do a strength training session. Many
people cut back on strength training during the summer
months because they prefer exercising in the fresh air…and
that is understandable. However, regular resistance exercise
is essential to develop and maintain a strong
musculoskeletal system, and a strong musculoskeletal system
is necessary for performing physical activities safely and
successfully. Actually, two basic and brief strength
training sessions a week are sufficient. Just be sure
to address all of your major muscle groups (typically 8 to
12 exercises) and use a weight load that enables you to
complete between 8 and 12 good repetitions. Perform every
repetition at a controlled movement speed and through a full
movement range, always exhaling during the lifting phase and
inhaling during the lowering phase. A well-executed weight
workout should be completed in 20 to 30 minutes any time of
year.
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About The Author
Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., is fitness research
director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, and author of 21
books on strength training.
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