5 Ways To Stay Fit And Active When It Gets Cold Outside

We had our first frost this weekend and it got me thinking (sadly) about the upcoming colder weather and shorter days. I think we all find it more difficult to get motivated and stay active as the number of daylight hours start shrinking. These ideas might help out a little bit.



1. Staying Dry.
This is probably the most important factor in enjoying the colder weather. If your clothing gets wet, from sweat, rain, snow, or whatever, you will not be happy. Heat loss is accelerated if your body gets wet from evaporation and conduction, and you will be cold. Find a way to stay dry at all costs. Your outermost layers should be waterproof, including jackets, pants, and especially footwear. I try to find Gore-tex or similar material for my winter running shoes as they keep my feet both warmer and dryer.

2. Layering.
No matter what the activity is, I follow the same rules for layering in the winter.

•  Base layer - Wicking layer including tights and long sleeved shirt. I tend to prefer Under Armor's Cold Gear, but anything similar does a great job wicking sweat away, and providing a bit of warmth.
•  Thermal layer - A thicker layer goes on next and holds in body heat. Find something that isn't too bulky and allows free movement, but still keeps you toasty. Stuff with Thinsulate, or similar type material is best.
•  Wind/Waterproof Outer Layer - Keeping both wind and wet from touching your body is critical to enjoying the outdoors. As mentioned in point #1, Gore-tex or similar material does the best job at this. If you're going to be out at night, make sure you have reflective material incorporated as well.

3. Find More Light!

The shorter winter daylight hours can be a real downer. It can sometimes be enough to cause mild depression, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, which certainly decreases motivation. Take advantage of bright sunny days, and find a way to get sun exposure when you're at work. Get outside at coffee breaks, recess, lunchtime, whatever. Get the lights on at home, and open up the blinds to let as much natural light in as possible. Going to work in the dark, and coming home in the dark isn't much fun.

4. Take Advantage of Fall's Bounty

We often get in the mindset that summer is the time for the best food, but I actually like fall's offerings better.

This is an opportunity to get wonderful, healthy fruits and vegetables like corn, pumpkins, squash, apples, yams. Here are some amazing links to using some of these great ingredients, and here, and here.

5. Go Inside. 

I've finally admitted to myself that there are some days that even I can't go outside and get my run in. Finding a good gym, or some good quality home equipment makes up for it. 

When checking out gyms, make sure their hours work for you. Do you need a 24 hour gym? Are they excessively busy when you want to go? Look at the quality of the machines. Do they keep it well maintained? If you like the looks of the gym, ask for a short trial membership before you commit.

If you're going to the effort of buying home equipment, get the best quality you can afford. If you buy it from late night TV, or purchase without trying it out first, you have only yourself to blame.

Well, again, I want to hear from you. What else do you do to get through the colder months?

Let me know!

5 Tips To Running Smoothly

It's been as hot as I can ever recall July being in Southern Ontario this year. The heat has made it awfully difficult to enjoy my runs, but keeping cool and running efficiently has helped. I wanted to pass on some simple techniques to make your running a little smoother.



1. Relax.
Easy to say, hard to do. I like to think about every muscle group from head to toe (literally), and make sure I'm not tensing up unnecessarily. I especially focus on this while on the treadmill, where it can get awfully boring! I start at the head and work my way down, ensuring I'm as relaxed as possible. Make sure you're not clenching your jaw and your facial muscles are relaxed. Don't tense your arms and don't ball up your fists. Shake your hands out gently. Make sure your legs flow freely and loosely.
Staying loose allows your running form to begin to flow more naturally and smoothly. Unnecessary tension can lead to early fatigue.

2. Breathe Rhythmically.
Again, really easy to tell you to do, but difficult to achieve practically. I like to tell newer runners to try and inhale and exhale for as close to an equal length of time as possible. If you can, try to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. This slows the inhalation phase, and keeps the mouth from drying out. The nose also filters out a little of the air pollution and smog we've been experiencing with all this heat!
I also suggest maintaining a fixed rhythm of breathing with your foot strikes, although each individual needs to find the rate that work best for them. For example, perhaps it's 4 strides for every breath in, and 4 strides for each breath out for you. For an elite runner it could be as slow as every 6 or 8 steps for each breath. Again, try and keep it as even as possible.

3. Efficient Forward Motion.
The goal in running, ultimately, is to move a body forward through space. So, try to picture your body moving as smoothly, and in as straight a line as possible. Think of your arms and legs as pistons propelling your body, and moving only up and down. Try to avoid swaying side to side. Envision your arms moving in smooth arcs taking you forward.

4. Look Forward, Not Down.
I see far too many people looking down at their feet when they run. Not only is this potentially dangerous, as you aren't paying attention to traffic and your surroundings, but it also leads to poor form. Keep your head up, and focus your vision on a spot about 50 yards down the road. That "spot" should remain relatively steady as you move forward. If it seems to be bouncing, your stride is getting too long.

5. Focus on Foot Strike.
Finally, really focus on your foot strike. Land gently on your heel, and roll forward, all the way to your tiptoes. Think of your foot as a rocker bottom, and try to roll through the entire length of your step. Think about springing off your toes to maximize your next stride. Using this technique will cushion your foot stike, and explode into your next step.



Although this is condensed into 5 steps, it's quite a bit to think about. On your next run, pick one of them, and really focus on making a small change. Keep adding more, and as they become second nature I think you'll soon find your runs effortless!

Let me know what other techniques you use!

5 Tips for Training in the HEAT

I just got back from a great trip in NYC over the Memorial Day Weekend. The weather was classic summer city weather; hot, hazy and humid. Still, I was able to get my traditional runs through Central Park in, and live to tell about it. It got me to thinking about how best to deal with the upcoming summer training season. Here are a few tips.
Please help me out and add to them in the comments!



1. EASE INTO IT!

If it's your first "hot" run of the year, cut down on your intensity/distance.  Heat and humidity are draining, and it's important not to kill yourself the first time out. Treat the change in weather like you've been off for a week.
Go easy and build up your stamina.

2. HYDRATION.

As a sport medicine physician, I try to recommend taking in at least 500 ml (2 cups) of water about an hour prior to going out. If this isn't possible, drink frequently to thirst, out on the run. It's NOT necessary to go crazy doing this, as drinking EXCESSIVELY can cause its own problems (like exercise induced hyponatremia (CJSM, 2008). A good method to sort out how much fluid you are losing is to weigh yourself naked prior to, and just after running. A one pound loss would be about the equivalent of 16 ounces of fluids (2 cups).

Despite what Gatorade/Powerade/whoever advertises, water is always the best choice for your fluid, UNLESS you are going out for longer than an hour, at High Intensity. If you are going longer, then adding 4-6% glucose, and a little bit of salt is worthwhile.



3. HIGH TECH CLOTHING

I'm a big fan of high tech stuff in general, and in this case, technology in clothing is important. Synthetic clothing, like Coolmax or similar, wicks sweat away much better than cotton, which tends to just retain the moisture.
Lighter colored clothing reflects most of the heat, and using a cap will keep some of the rays off your face.

4. TIME OF DAY

Pretty obvious, but getting out early in the morning, before the sun really heats things up is the best choice. It also tends to be best for lower humidity, smog, pollution, traffic and allergens. If the morning doesn't work, then the next best choice is during evening hours, after the sun has gone down.
Don't forget, even though it may seem fairly light out, have reflective gear somewhere on your body. Drivers can be pretty distracted (what with phones, texting, etc!)

5. IT'S THE HUMIDITY, NOT THE HEAT!!

Pay really close attention to the HUMIDEX reading, not just the temperature. When looking at weather reports, look at the Humidex reading, NOT the temperature. The humidex reading gives a "what it feels like" reading, by combining the straight temperature with the humidity reading. If this number gets too high for comfort, pack it in, and work out indoors that day!


Again, I appreciate all the great commentary, and would love you to add to the list! Cheers, and enjoy the heat!