Did you know?
Peanut butter is a great food to fuel up on before a 5K or 10K because of its low GI, high carbohydrate and high protein content.
What to eat before a 5K or 10KWhen it’s cold and miserable, it can be hard to motivate yourself to exercise at all, let alone exercise outside – however, running outside instead of in the gym can actually be really great for your health, especially in winter. Find out why you should be running outside this winter in today’s blog post!
When it’s cold and miserable outside, it can be so tempting to just curl up inside and hibernate all winter. However, getting up and active is a great way to boost energy levels and mood during the dark winter months.
It might sound crazy, but I always encourage people to run outside during the winter. Yes, you heard that right!
So why should you brave the chilly weather and take your runs outside this winter?
During the winter we spend a lot of time indoors, sitting in stale, air-conditioned air. This isn’t great for your body as this air is likely to be lower in oxygen and full of cold and flu viruses!
Exercising outdoors helps to circulate fresh, oxygen-rich blood around the body. This improved circulation helps to nourish the whole body, but also helps to mobilise the immune cells, allowing them to scour the body for viruses and bacteria.
In fact, running on forest trails is thought to do more than simply boost circulation and improve fitness. Spending time in forests, also known as forest-bathing or Shinrin-yoku, is thought to have some major health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, improving mood and promoting the immune system. The benefits to the immune system in particular are thought to be the result of the essential oils released by wood and plants called phytoncide.
In the winter it seems like cold and flu viruses everywhere – in the workplace, on public transport and, yes, in your local gym!
Gyms tend to be full of people in close proximity, using and touching the same pieces of equipment all day. The air conditioning also means that air is often recirculated throughout the building all day, allowing viruses and bacteria to gather.
Our bodies are highly dependent on the natural day and night cycles: as the day brightens, we release serotonin, the hormone that makes us feel lively and happy, and as the light fades, we release melatonin, the sleep hormone. This can get thrown out of balance in the winter as the days are much shorter.
To make matters worse, we tend to spend very little time outside in the natural light during winter – we wake up in the dark, sit at work or at home all day, and then it’s often dark by the time we get home. This can leave us fatigued, and often quite low as we produce too much melatonin.
In fact, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression only experienced in winter, due to this lack of sunlight and incorrect hormone balance.
If you can squeeze in an afternoon run while it’s still light, your body and mind will really thank you for it! Not only will the fresh air and endorphins energise you but the daylight will remind your body and mind that it should be fully awake.
Your usual running gear – leggings or shorts and a t-shirt – will likely not be suitable when the weather drops into single figures. However, your woolly jumpers and ski jackets may not be the answer either!
My advice is to wear layers so that you can strip them off as you warm up during your run. Try pairing a thermal long-sleeved t shirt with a sweater or running jacket – and if it’s really cold you might want to wear all three. Don’t be afraid to wear a hat and gloves too!
Your local running shop will also probably sell specialised running clothes for the winter, including thermal leggings, tops and gloves.
As long as you’re sensible, then yes, it’s perfectly safe!
However, I do have a few pieces of advice to make sure your run is as safe as possible:
Want to get started? Read my top 5 tips for running in cold weather.
Originally written on 11/10/2017, updated on 30/10/2018.
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