Ray LaVoie
At this time of the year, I find myself thinking and writing about the importance of committing to resolutions to engage in an exercise program. It always becomes obvious to me that the first few weeks these commitments are in full view. As I saunter to the locker room to change into my workout gear, I observe how the treadmills, stationary bicycles and various other types of exercise equipment are fully in use with an occasional queue of workout enthusiasts waiting their turn to shed calories.
After a month passes, the number of exercise enthusiasts so omnipresent just a few weeks into the beginning of the new year significantly diminishes. The hum of the treadmill motors no longer resonate. The grunts of weightlifters are not easily heard. And the resolutions that once were well-intended commitments to well-being have faded into oblivion.
Rather than once again focusing on outcomes that we all know will be repeated, perhaps it’s time to explore ways we can think of movement that engages us to appreciate the central Ohio outdoors. Yes, the outdoor elements that are replete with subfreezing temperatures and high winds with a dusting of snow.
Molly Scott’s article, “Outside Every Day,” inspired me to share my thoughts about the virtues of forming a partnership with our Ohio winter wonderland. Why hibernate or disconnect from the usual indoor winter workouts when there are a number of possibilities you may find enlightening and motivating that help cultivate a love of outdoor winter exercise.
Outdoor movement can be more invigorating than a summer outdoor run or walk. Often, I am exhausted when I have completed a walk or run in warm weather. My breathing is labored, sweat permeates my clothing and my hands are resting on my hips to help expand my chest so as to inhale more easily. Basically, I am “spent.” When I finish a walk or run in cold weather, I am invigorated and do not have that yucky feeling exacerbated by profuse sweating.
It is easier to dress for a winter workout than for a summer one. If the weather is too warm, I can control my body temperature only so much as I am limited on the amount of clothing I can shed before I would be cited for indecent exposure. During the winter months, it is easier to control my body temperature by removing one or two layers of clothing to reach my comfort level.
I can burn more calories in winter than in summer. During exercise, more calories are burned in colder weather than in warmer weather. Low temperatures trigger a more significant thermogenic response causing a higher expenditure of calories.
I have greater protection from the sun. My early days of running was not a panacea for ways to keep safe from the sun. Those three-hour runs sans adequate clothing to cover my body have made me a poster child for how not to minimize the risk of developing skin cancer. My dermatologist is more content now that the Ohio winter forces me to don enough clothing that protect me from the sun.
Take advantage of the many ways winter running helps your well-being. Get outside and move!
