Winter Walking Tips

The benefits of taking an outdoor winter walk are enormous, both mentally and physically! Fresh air, sunshine and movement are all beneficial to your overall health and disposition. Just because the trees are bare and there’s a chill in the air doesn’t mean you have to forgo your daily walks outside for the dreaded treadmill. In fact, outdoor walking in winter has surprising benefits for people with arthritis.

Walking in colder temperatures helps you to burn more calories because your body works harder to stay warm. Once you start moving, endorphins will release, resulting a euphoric feeling, something much needed to combat the lack of sunlight that we experience due to shortened daylight, and the blood pumping through your body will help to make you feel and look better.

Getting just 15 minutes of sun on your face and hands two to three times per week will suffice for getting enough sun for vitamin D production. Sun exposure triggers vitamin D production in the skin, and bones need this to make the body absorb bone-strengthening calcium properly.

But winter walking also requires a certain amount of precaution. Slippery walkways and sidewalks must be considered, especially frozen terrain can be dangerous and frigid air can do damage to skin and lungs if you are not properly prepared for this. Following are some tips to consider before your wintertime walk.

Be Safe

• First off, heed the warning to check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine, especially if you suffer from a heart condition, asthma, or other breathing difficulties.
• Choose smart footwear. Avoid boots or shoes with smooth soles and heels. Instead, wear shoes or boots that provide traction on snow and ice. You can use boots made of non-slip rubber or neoprene with grooved or waffled soles, they are best.
• Assume that all wet, dark areas on pavements are slippery and icy and proceed with extra caution.
• Keep your hands out of your pockets! Because hands in your pockets while walking will decreases your center of gravity and balance.
• Use a walking stick or Nordic poles to help with balance.
• Wait for vehicles to stop completely before crossing a road.
• Choose your route on sidewalks, park trails, bike paths, high school tracks or residential streets that draw very few cars.
• Always wear bright, visible clothing. A reflective vest or gear is optimal at any time of day.

Be Smart

• A winter walk should be done at a leisurely pace. Just the fact that you are outdoors and moving will have its health benefits. There is no real added benefit to “racing”.
• Start slowly to warm up.
• Bring water. Dry air is dehydrating and you do sweat in cold temperatures, you may not notice it.
• Pay attention to the temperature and wind chill and know your comfort level. Wind can be deceiving in the cold. Here is a good reference is:
  Winds = temperature drop
  10 mph = 15 degrees
  15 mph = 20 degrees
  20 mph = 25 degrees
  30 mph = 35 degrees
• Always wear three levels of clothing, with the outermost layer something that can be removed and carried if you get too warm.
• Wear gloves, a hat and a neck gaiter. Over 30 percent of the body’s heat is lost through your head. And cold hands can make your walk miserably.
• Don’t wear clothes that are so bulky they impair movement and affect your posture and your walking technique.
• Wear sunglasses. The sun and its reflections are often more intense in the winter than you realize.
• If you’re going to carry something, use a backpack rather than something slung over one shoulder or held in one hand. A backpack will help to minimize back, neck or shoulder pain.
• Bring your cell phone with you and/or tell people your planned route.