Exercising in Winter: How Cold is Too Cold?
Ice baths. Cold showers. Cryotherapy. Spending time in near sub-zero conditions to help our fitness goals is all the rage, with a flurry of suggested health benefits from an uptick in VO2 max to improved composition of metabolism-boosting brown fat.
But when it comes to working out, how cold is too cold? At what temperature should you heed your better judgement and swap the frosty trail for a toasty treadmill?
Various sources suggest 0˚F (-17.8˚C) is the point of no return, when the risk of frostbite, hypothermia and myocardial infarction (also known as a heart attack) due to a spike in blood pressure outweighs the immunity-boosting and waistline-shrinking gains.
Anyone with a history of cardiovascular disease should heed extra caution when the mercury plummets.
One Norwegian study also found that long-term cold air exposure in cross-country skiers – and, incidentally, in dogs – caused potentially irreversible inflammation in the airways and lungs.
'As it is currently unknown if these airway changes are reversible upon cessation of exposure, preventive measures to diminish exposure of the lower airways to cold air should be instituted by all winter sports athletes,' the authors noted.
Fortunately, if you're reading this in the UK, you're unlikely to encounter such inhospitable conditions. Average winter temperatures typically hover between 2-7˚C – though last plunged to a life-threatening -27.2˚C in Altnaharra, Scotland, on 30 December, 1995.
Best to wrap up whatever the weather.
Cold weather red alerts
Frostbite
Frostbite can develop on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. As your body redirects warm blood from your appendages – fingers, toes, ears, nose and crown jewels – to vital organs, moisture around your skin cells can start to freeze. Unchecked, this can lead to platelets hardening, blood flow slowing and tissue perishing from a lack of oxygen. Watch out for pins and needles, the area going numb or skin turning white, mottled or blue.
Hypothermia
This potentially fatal condition occurs when the body loses more heat than it can produce, when body temperature drops from around 37˚C to below 35˚C, causing the pulse and heart rate to slow. The elderly and very young are most at risk, plus those with diabetes or circulatory problems, and a very low body fat. Watch out for pale, cold and dry skin, or the skin on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet turning blue or grey.
Dehydration
Cold weather poses the same risk of dehydration as working out in hot and humid conditions, yet often you might not feel as thirsty. As you inhale cold, dry air, your body will warm and moisten it. Exhaling visible vapour is a sign of fluid loss. Avoid wearing cotton and heavy, tight-knit fabrics that can trap sweat close to your skin, instead opting for wicking fabrics, such as high-tech polyester.
How to stay warm when exercising in winter
If you must train in a cold snap, personal trainer and ultrarunner Abby Storer says protecting your 'glabrous skin areas' – thermal portals for temperature regulation found on the palms, feet, head and ears – will help safeguard you from the elements.
'Humans have areas of glabrous skin that are very vascular and facilitate heat loss and cooling,' she shared on Instagram. 'If you keep these areas warm in cold weather (or cold in hot weather) then you will have an easier time of keeping your body within its ideal performance temperature range.'
Remember: thick socks, insulated gloves, beanies and head warmers.
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