Getting active outdoors is not just fun and games if your body isn’t cold-weather ready. Ice skating, skiing, and sledding can all cause aches, pains, muscle spasms, strains, or even tears if your body is not in shape. Not wearing the proper clothing can also pose risks to your health while being active outdoors in the cold, winter season.

Layers of clothing are important to maintaining good health while spending time outdoors in the winter. Without warm outerwear, muscles and blood vessels contract to conserve heat and blood flow to your arms and legs is reduced. This makes it more difficult for your muscles to function, especially if you’re unfit. Conditioning your arms and legs before becoming active outdoors in the winter months and wearing the proper weight of clothing to protect them from the cold will help you avoid injury during the cold months of the year.

Warming up for 15 – 20 minutes prior to your outdoor activity is important as well. It will help you avoid injury as well as make your workout more pleasant and safe.

Follow these additional suggestions from the American Chiropractic Association to improve your winter workouts:

• Before skiing: Do 10 to 15 squats. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart, knees aligned over your feet. Slowly lower your buttocks as you bend your knees over your feet. Stand up straight again.
• Before skating: Do several lunges. Take a moderately advanced step with one foot. Let your back knee come down to the floor while keeping your shoulders in position over your hips. Repeat the process with your other foot.
• Before sledding/tobogganing: Do knee-to-chest stretches to fight compression injuries caused by repetitive bouncing over the snow. Either sitting or lying on your back, pull your knees to your chest and hold for up to 30 seconds.

Don't forget cool-down stretching for all of these sports. At the bottom of the sledding hill, for instance, before trudging back up, do some more knees-to-chest stretches, or repetitive squatting movements to restore flexibility.

Source: American Chiropractic Association