Winter sports: how to avoid injuries and respiratory illnesses when exercising in the cold

Mid-year, mid-winter and temperatures that make you feel colder and colder. Despite this, there are those who seem to have an iron will to overcome the hostility of time and the temptation to stay as long as possible in the shelter of the hearth. Either way, they’re taking to the streets in their best looks to exercise.

Some have been practicing their routines for months, others are just beginning to do so, perhaps already thinking about summer and few clothes. But the latter, if they do not have much experience, must take certain precautions not to dare to pay dearly.

“Starting from scratch with exercise in a cold environment like winter presents greater risk factors, not only for muscle injuries but also for cardiovascular components or respiratory pathologies”, warns Rodolfo Hidalgo, kinesiologist, Master in health and sports sciences and academic at Finis Terrae University.

Factors such as the ambient temperature, the state of the earth in which the ejercicio, the intensity, the edad, the preparation and the state of health of the person will occur, among others, inciden in a mayor or menor riesgo to suffer inconveniences during the physical activity. For this reason, Hidalgo calls on those who begin or resume physical activity to seek advice from “competent professionals”, so that they can carry it out with the general panorama analyzed and with a work plan that minimizes the risks.

In general, people organize their exercise routines around their work and/or school schedules. This leads to a concentration of physical activities either very early in the morning or late in the evening, times when the temperature is generally lower than average and, therefore, the health risks are greater.

From a musculoskeletal point of view, the body needs to increase its metabolism and temperature to carry out any physical activity. When the environmental thermometer is below 10 ºC, it is more difficult for the body to reach an optimal temperature for exercising. “The muscles are cold, so there is an increase in muscle injuries and ankle sprains,” says Luis Peñailillo, a researcher at the School of Kinesiology at the U. Andres Bello.

“Kinesthesia – the ability to know how the extremities of the body move, especially the hands and feet – decreases, leading to less coordination and increasing the risk of injury in these areas,” he adds.

On the other hand, health authorities have already expressed concern about possible viral epidemics of respiratory diseases such as influenza and syncytial virus, in addition to the presence of covid-19, which during the winter period takes on a force particular. Al respecto, el director de la Escuela de Kinesiología de la Universidad Finis Terrae, Claudio Villagrán, señala que el “aire frío puede producir sequedad de nuestras vias respiratorias, lo que puede conllevar a una sobrecarga de este system ya una predisposición a enfermedades de las Respiratory tracts”.

Due to weather conditions, Rodolfo Hidalgo adds that people with a history of asthma or bronchial obstruction could increase their symptoms “and potentially have an event of these characteristics”. Added to this is the fact that the cold air that we breathe, especially through the mouth – “where it is not sufficiently heated, such as in the nose” – can promote the action of certain viral agents or bacterial.

Therefore, factors such as temperature, humidity, wind, and height are relevant to measure when performing physical activity. Also other aspects, underlined by Villagrán, and which are related to the place where the exercise will take place: “for example, if you are going to run, you must check the state of the ground, if there is water or mud, to avoid injuries”.

For all these reasons, Hidalgo recommends opting for periods of greater luminosity, in which there is also a little more ambient temperature. “Hopefully between 11 and 12 in the morning, or 4 or 5 in the afternoon,” he said.

Common scene: there is a post-match pichanga and the players who arrive on the field at the last minute, still in their office clothes and without time to warm up, come directly to change and play. Big mistake that usually kills several people, especially in winter. And the chances of becoming one increase with age.

The goal of warming up, according to Peñailillo, is “to raise the metabolism to a temperature similar to what we will have in the exercise or workout we want to do.” In this way, we prepare the body to subject it to the physical stress that activity means, thus reducing the risk of injury.

Is the heating that must be done in winter different from that in summer? Hidalgo says not essentially. The principle of a progressive “pre-competitive work” is maintained: go from the weakest to the strongest intensity. What varies is the duration of this preparation which, in a cold climate, should be a little longer.

How should it be heated? The idea is to prepare all systems for activity. To do this, Villagrán recommends short jogging at low or moderate intensities, then active stretching of the muscle groups, “to start later, in an upward progression, the physical activity to be developed”.

It’s important to perform joint movements, says Peñailillo, because you’re probably very stiff from the cold. For his part, Hidalgo suggests that those who exercise individually outdoors, hope to do their warm-up inside the house or in an enclosed area.

As it has been said, the most important thing is to go less and more in the warm-up, so as not to stress the body all of a sudden and so that it starts the basic activity with a rhythm similar to that which he will suffer later. Hermann Zbinden, head of the Exercise Physiology and Metabolism Laboratory at Finis Terrae University, explains that during activity, whether it’s a run, football, tennis or another sport, it is important to monitor the expected physiological responses. It is necessary “to control the usual fatigue of each, and that the feeling of cold or hot is balanced”. In this sense, the appearance of an unknown discomfort should be considered as an alert “to avoid possible injuries or complications”.

The latter is particularly relevant for men over 40 and women over 45 –—especially when they are in the postmenopausal phase—, because the cellular tissues do not have the quality of yesteryear and the proper functions neither does the body. their splendor.

Peñailillo says the immune system’s response to exercise is “J” shaped. What does that mean? “There is a window of two or three hours during which our immune response capacity decreases, which makes us more susceptible to contracting respiratory diseases. But then our system has a increase and it gets louder. Exercise is therefore very good for our immune system, but you have to take good care of yourself after training.”

Therefore, there is no need to stay in wet clothes or feel cold. The ideal, during the winter, is to change as quickly as possible for dry and warm clothes, and to shower as soon as possible so that, as Rodolfo Hidalgo says, the body “thermoregulates again towards a state more basal. Claudio Villagrán also argues that it is important that general stretches are performed after physical activity.

It is a serious and common mistake to believe that because it is not hot in winter, it is not necessary to drink so much liquid. “Good hydration allows thermoregulation and a water-electrolyte balance that promotes the functioning of all body systems,” says Hidalgo. This not only optimizes performance in physical activity, but also decreases the likelihood of injury or other systemic complications that may occur during it.

The key is to stay hydrated before, during and after physical activity. With what? Water and isotonic drinks — which provide electrolytes — are the most recommended. Infusions and hot drinks, such as coffee? They are not highly recommended, as most of them contain diuretic components which, according to Hidalgo, could even increase water loss and, therefore, make it more difficult to maintain the necessary fluid and electrolyte balance.

Contrary to what one might think, infusions or hot drinks have more benefits for thermoregulation in hot environments and less in cold environments. That’s why coffee is drunk at peak times in places like Brazil, Colombia or Africa,” adds the kinesiologist.

In summary: before embarking on morning or evening exercise, it is essential to take into account the time, the temperature, the state of the place where the activity will be carried out, to be well hydrated and to warm up according to the intensity of the long distance exercise. But there is another relevant point to consider: clothing. And this, according to Hidalgo, must fulfill two functions: to provide shelter and to maintain body temperature. Something in which sports brands have come a long way to provide solutions.

“When you don’t have the ideal clothes, you sweat a lot, it cools the body and the sweat weighs down those clothes, which can lead to a certain overload,” says Peñailillo. For this reason, forget all wool or cotton clothing for sport, and opt for those made of synthetic materials such as polyester or microfiber. “The grace of these is that they don’t retain sweat, but rather let it fall off, which allows better thermoregulation of the body,” says Hidalgo.

Villagrán recommends considering a thin first layer —in synthetic material—, then a fleece type layer and a third waterproof and breathable outer layer, windproof type. “Diapers will also depend on whether you are a thin person, as heavier people require fewer layers,” explains the kinesiologist.

On the other hand, the cold leads to a decrease in blood supply and motor control becomes weaker. Hands and head tend to suffer more from the impact of low temperatures. Ideally, if they need to be covered, this should be done with clothing made from the aforementioned materials, which allow warmth and do not accumulate moisture.

For Peñailillo, having a good coat after training is even more important. “I recommend wearing a hat, a good sweatshirt, a good shirt and thus avoid catching cold when the immune system drops.”

*Prices for products in this item are current as of July 6, 2022. Values ​​and availability may change.