With temperatures cooling have you noticed you are fatiguing faster when exercising outdoors? According to Rachel Doell with Daily Routine Fitness are bodies are working harder to keep warm which can impact our performance.
“Fatigue in running or cycling at this time of year is normal as our bodies have to work harder and expend more energy to keep warm,” says Doell.
Here are a few important changes you can make to keep up with the season’s change while maintaining your outdoor workouts.
Be prepared
Fellow B Corporation, Patagonia makes a nice little technical backpack so you can be prepared for changes in the weather and your body temperature. It has a built-in water reservoir and will also hold your extra layer, phone, and sports nutrition products. Great for a day hike, long-distance run or snowshoe trek.
Layer your clothing
Invest in good quality technical clothing that absorbs sweat. When it dries on our skin, it quickly cools our body. For some great ideas on clothing matched to your outdoor activity check out Doell’s video blog How To Dress Smart For Your Workouts This Fall And Winter Season.
Stretch
Stretching is a must to prevent sickness and injury. Incorporate dynamic stretching before your outdoor workout to help loosen your muscles, and static stretching post activity in which poses are held for thirty seconds or longer.
Stay hydrated
Doell says while we don’t notice we’re sweating as much as in the summer heat, we are. “If you’re exercising for an hour or more and don’t have water, you’ll feel the effects of dehydration.”
As reported in our summer article, Water it does a body good (page 12 July/August Goodlife Magazine) tiredness, irritability, headaches, and dizziness can all be signs of dehydration. Including electrolytes like sodium, potassium and magnesium in your hydration will also help to keep your system balanced.
Doell recommends we avoid the added sugar of off the shelf sports drinks and opt instead to add sea salt and a little lemon juice to our water.
If you don’t want to carry a technical backpack with your H2O, you could try a running belt. Doell suggests we seek out a version that positions the extra weight on the lower back instead of hips to prevent imbalance in our stride.
Keep enjoying the great outdoors. Fresh air and vitamin D from sun exposure will help you stay healthy this winter!
