Exercising outdoors in winter?

In answer to the question posed about exercising "do you really need to go outside in the middle of winter?", I would say very definitely, yes - and as often as is possible, taking the weather and lockdown restrictions into account.

Provided you dress appropriately, and avoid slippery surfaces and close contact with others, then exercising outside will be good for both your physical and mental well-being. When you exercise outside it is not just about keeping fit, breathing in lots of fresh air will also give your immune system a boost. And if you have access to the countryside or a park, then this will bring added benefits to your sense of well-being.

 

I fully agree with Pauline. It's all a matter of dressing appropriately, as she points out. The winter has finally arrived here in southern Finland, it's very cold (minus 17 C right now) and we are deep in snow. 'After weeks of mild, damp, gloomy weather, the world is suddenly a much brighter and happier place. There was even an article in the paper with the headline that the joy caused by the arrival of winter makes a pleasant change from the anxiety caused by the virus!
I hasten to add that the temperature is dropping rapidly; it was only minus 8 C when I went shopping this morning.

 

You need to log-in to view the Harvard article so I can’t read that, but a simple web search brings up lots of articles - medical & otherwise - outlining the benefits of getting outside in winter.

 

I have exercise-induced asthma, which is worse when I go outside in the cold. I do have an inhaler but walking any distance in our cold dry air means that I have to use it when I get inside again. Fortunately, it has not been all that cold so far this winter, hovering around the zeroC mark (it can go down to -35) except for a brief period in October, so I can walk to the car and back without difficulty. And I generally only have to do that once a week, like today. It is presently -2, feels like -7 with the humidity at 37%.

 

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I got the same as Pauline

 

I also had to log in

 

Thanks Peter - Googling worked

 

I don't view Pauline's opinion as 'medical advice'.

 

As I said previously, a web search brings up plenty of articles, including some on the NHS website. I googled on something like 'benefits of going outside in winter UK', adding the UK because the bit in the newsletter was referring to matters in the UK, and the climate here is very different from in other parts of the world.

 

I didn't see what I wrote as medical advice either, any more than I viewed what was written in the newsletter as medical advice.

 

Naturally - I thought that was what you were asking for.