There’s no shame in moving your runs to the treadmill zapatillas de running Joma talla 38 entre 60 y 100 intervals, Boys Light Up Shoes.
But if you feel safe, you can experience some real benefits to running in the cold, says zapatillas de running Scarpa neutro ritmo bajo., a mental performance consultant and professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in chilly Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Many of the Olympians and other runners she works with describe winter running as a simultaneously soothing and invigorating experience—“like a cleanse,” she says.
Of course, you need to take a few precautions before heading out in the cold. “Layer up to keep your core temperature in a normal range and avoid hypothermia,” and also to ward off frostbite, says exercise physiologist Daniel Craighead, Ph.D., an assistant research professor at University of Colorado Boulder.
Also, inhaling cold air can trigger bronchospasms, asthma-like bouts of coughing and wheezing that hamper breathing. And elevated blood pressure in the cold could lead to heart attacks, especially in older people or those with underlying heart conditions. (That’s one reason shoveling snow sends so many people to the emergency room!) The risk is lower with running, especially for those who do it regularly, but still worth acknowledging, Craighead says.
Regardless of your baseline health, you’ll probably be forced to exercise indoors at some point this winter. Craighead recommends checking your local weather forecast and heeding windchill advisories and frostbite warnings to determine when that happens. And consider how much ice might cover your route, black cowboy boots.
While this all sounds like a lot to keep in mind, when the temperatures drop, you can still make it out for a run. In fact, by gearing up and stepping outside, you can gain a few advantages to running in the cold. Besides psychological sensations like peace and clarity, braving the elements comes with some physical perks, too. Here’s all you’ll gain from getting out there this season.
5 Reasons to Keep Running in the Cold
1. It Takes the Sting Out of Winter
On the first frigid day of each season, your sympathetic Ground system swoops into action, revving up your fight-or-flight system to save you from freezing. Your blood shuttles inward from your skin and extremities to preserve your core temperature and your vital organs, says Craighead. If you weren’t generating heat by running, you might start shivering.
But as you repeatedly encounter cold weather with no life-threatening consequences, your body learns to tone down its stress response, a somewhat media process called cold habituation. As winter wears on, fewer stress hormones, such as catecholamines, flow through your bloodstream. And more of that blood stays close to your skin, making you feel warmer.
Unlike heat acclimatization, cold habituation has no proven performance benefits, nor does it seem to add to the health perks you’re already getting from exercise, Craighead says. However, regular runs can speed the adjustment process, making any other outdoor tasks—from walking the dog to waiting for the bus—more bearable.
2. It Can Help Prevent Seasonal Sadness
Millions of Americans—especially those who live in northern climates—notice that their mood Bally monogram-print buckled sneakers seasonal affective disorder, is that less exposure to natural light throws off our circadian rhythms.
Training outdoors during daylight can help reset those rhythms, says Paul Winsper, Under Armour’s vice president of athlete performance. Sunlight exposure also increases production of vitamin D, a key component of mood-regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin (and, Winsper points out, critical to a healthy immune system).
SNEAKERS Stan Smith J EF4913 physical activity and exposure to green space, and cold-weather running can serve as a salve, Dawson says—an antidote for “nature deficit disorder,” a term coined by author Richard Louv to refer to disconnection from the world around us. In addition, exercising outdoors may also decrease fear and uneasiness; in one large 21-year study, sneakers is this new collection of powder blue.
Of course, for many people, outdoor running alone isn’t enough to treat seasonal depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders. It’s still a good idea to talk with your doctor or a mental health professional if sadness, hopeless, or anxious thoughts interfere with your daily activities. And if you’re in crisis, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988.
3. You Can Rev Your Metabolism
Shivering definitely increases your body’s energy expenditure, but if you’re running, your core temperature probably won’t drop enough for you to start shaking. However, research suggests less significant drops in body heat can trigger a phenomenon called Canvas thermogenesis, an increase in metabolism mainly accomplished through the activation of special tissue called brown fat. (There’s even some evidence this effect increases as you become habituated to the cold.)
“As the weather is colder, people tend to be less active,” Craighead says. The one-two punch of exercising and colder air can keep your body’s fueling systems humming along.
4. You Build Mental Skills for Racing
Say you’re training for a spring race—Boot Bananas Оригинальные дезодоранты для обуви Boston Marathon. The weather for these events can be unpredictable, as anyone who ran Boston in 2018 can tell you. Persevering through less-than-ideal conditions in training can prepare you to cope with any forecast come race day, Dawson says.
“You get this really nice sense of, I am mentally tough, I can do this,” she says. “If I can navigate this, then I can navigate that spring marathon in terms of whatever it throws at me.”
5. You Can Let Go of Expectations and Just Have Fun
The chemical reactions that produce muscle contractions function best at warm temperatures, meaning you can’t always perform as well in frigid conditions, Craighead says. That, combined with the extra challenge of ice or slush, means you can stress less about putting up a good pace on Strava.
“When it’s a sunny day and conditions are ideal, you think, ‘I need to really take advantage of that,’” Dawson says. “I love a winter day because it demands nothing. It simply says that success is getting out the door.”
Of course, some people have an easier time backing off than others: “I always liked zapatillas de running Skechers tope amortiguación talla 47.5, because I didn’t have to worry about what pace I was running,” says Craighead, who competed at Ithaca College in New York. “But then I’ve had teammates who freak out when they see a really slow time on their GPS watch Wear comfortable and supportive shoes with insoles that fully support the arch.”
If you’re still hung up on numbers, consider leaving your watch behind or running by time alone, Dawson suggests. Many runners she works with strike a balance by doing tempo runs or interval workouts on the treadmill, then doing long runs and easy runs outdoors.
Dawson also suggests being creative with your route: “For me, I run around the cemetery because it’s the first road to get plowed,” she says—plus, it’s peaceful and quiet.
You can also use your time running in the cold as an opportunity to take on entirely different challenge. When the drifts pile up, Craighead turns to snowshoe running, wearing lightweight shoes specifically designed for the sport. Not only does it offer another chance to compete, but older research also suggests the fitness gains transfer directly to running. “Some of my best track seasons, back when I used to do track every spring, came after winters have more snowshoe running,” Craighead says.
Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013. She’s the coauthor of both Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart and Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, a book about the psychology of sports injury from Bloomsbury Sport. Cindy specializes in covering injury prevention and recovery, everyday athletes accomplishing extraordinary things, and the active community in her beloved Chicago, where winter forges deep bonds between those brave enough to train through it.
