Mike Shaffer, MSPT, OCS, ATC, exercise physical therapist and certified trainer in the Sports Medicine talks about winter exercise:

In the right conditions, can everyone exercise outdoors in the winter, even if they have a heart condition, asthma, or other health issue?

If there's ever a question, certainly they should consult their health care practitioner. If they haven't been active at all, exercising in weather as cold as it is right now may not be the best choice. But in general, we're actually better wired as human beings to exercise outdoors in the cold than we are to exercise outdoors when it's particularly hot. If they have a condition like asthma, then they have to make some special arrangements so they're breathing a little bit more humid, warmed air; but yes, it's possible for almost anybody.

What is the biggest mistake people make when going outside to exercise in the winter?

Really, two mistakes and they're paired together. Overdressing—so they have too many clothes on—and the clothes they're wearing are not necessarily tactical gear, that's geared for exercising outdoors in the cold. So they wear layers that tend to retain sweat right next to their bodies, as opposed to something that will wick the sweat away from your body, certainly.

Are the hands and feet the first to suffer from the cold? Why?

Sure. Any time the temperature goes down, your core temperature goes down, and your body's response is to shunt blood to the core, which pulls blood away from the extremities. Certainly they have a high surface area, so there's probably more skin area exposed to the cold air then would be true of other body parts.

When we exercise on a sunny winter day, do we also need to consider sunscreen?

I think it depends what activity you're talking about. If you're talking about skiing, downhill skiing, then yes. In general that's an activity where you'd be at higher altitude and you'd be outdoors for a longer period of time, so you may want to consider sunscreen. If you're thinking about what most of us would do kind of here where we live in Iowa where you're outside for only 20 or 30 minutes, no, you probably wouldn't need to think about sunscreen in that environment. But if you're outside for a longer period of time, absolutely, because you get the reflection of the sun off the snow, particularly if you're downhill skiing, so it's certainly something to keep in mind if you're skiing.

When cross-country skiing, running, or walking, why is it important to head into the wind and turn around so the wind is at our back heading home?

Well it's a lot easier to come with the wind at your back. If you could predict the wind, which is a huge caveat living here, right? If you could predict the wind then yes, you'd like to have it at your back coming home, making it easier when you're more tired. The other thing is that if you have overdressed or if sweat and you have the sweat closer to your skin, you won't be quite as cold with the wind at your back as you would with the wind blowing at you.

How important is it to pay attention to windchill?

Today's an appropriate example, where the temperature was quite cold but I didn't feel much wind, at least when I was outside, so you actually keep a layer of warmer air around your body. If the wind is blowing, then the wind continually blows that warmer, protective area away. The wind is absolutely the bigger factor to pay attention to. Windchills below 20, then you'd probably want to consider taking another activity, maybe. Rather than an outdoor activity, maybe you'd take something indoors on that particular day.

Are there early warning signs we all should know for frostbite and hypothermia?

Certainly if your hands and feet start to feel cold, that's the first thing. Usually the reason people can exercise outdoors is because if you're active, your muscles are producing extra heat, and so your extremities really should stay fairly warm. So if they start to feel cold, that's the first sign. After that, you'll go through a kind of burning, tingly stage, and then they'll finally hurt. Those are all early warning signs. When they start to go numb, then you're starting to get in dire straights. The tissues are definitely starting to undergo some damage at that point, so you want to try to change your activities once you get to that kind of burning, tingling stage or when they first start to feel cold.

What is your best advice for people who want to continue to exercise through the winter months?

Again, it's definitely possible. As humans, we're better wired to exercise outdoors in the cold then we are to exercise outdoors in the heat. But a couple things:

• You have to plan ahead a little bit better
• You've got to plan your wind
• Look at the windchill
• Have the right gear

You want to have gear that will wick sweat away from your body, you want to layer appropriately so that if you get too warm you can start to take some layers off—if you get cold, you can put layers on—but it is possible with some advanced planning.

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Mike Shaffer, MSPT, OCS, ATC

Sports Medicine