DAYTON, Ohio — When you exercise outdoors during cold winter months, it is important to take special precautions.
In the cold, the arteries in the heart constrict and blood pressure rises, increasing the potential for a heart attack. This is especially true for senior citizens and those with cardiovascular disease.
Studies have shown that those who are unaccustomed to regular physical activity are up to 30 times more likely to suffer a heart attack when they engage in sudden activity or when there is great physical exertion, such as shoveling snow. One study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported 53 percent more heart attacks occur during winter than occur during summer.
Some safety tips: When exercising in the cold, remember to pace yourself and listen to your body. If you experience any unusual or unexplained symptoms during or after physical exertion, stop the activity and seek medical attention immediately.
Red flags include pain, shortness of breath, nausea, pale or bluish/gray coloring of the skin and feeling faint, among others.
When polled, as many as one-third of all Americans describe themselves as very inactive during cold months. In addition to potential for increased heart problems, stress fractures and tendonitis are more common for people who try to pick up where they left off after a winter of inactivity.
To reduce this risk, do your best to exercise regularly, even if sessions are of short duration. One study followed 235 men and women, ages 35 to 60, over two years. Participants were divided into two separate groups. One group spent 20-60 minutes doing vigorous exercise up to five days a week. The second group increased activity levels with lifestyle modifications, such as parking the car farther away from a store entrance, taking the stairs instead of elevators or escalators and doing more tasks with their hands.
Researchers found that after six months, both groups showed similar and significant improvements in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body-fat percentages.
Become knowledgeable about heart attack warning signals and don’t ignore them in yourself or others. The most noticeable symptom that your heart is in trouble is pain or discomfort in the center of the chest.
Symptoms may also include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. Strange feelings can last more than a few minutes, or they may go away and then come back.
Heart-attack patients have described feelings of pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
Shortness of breath is another warning sign and, although it often comes along with chest discomfort, it can also occur beforehand. Cold sweating, lightheadedness, dizziness and feeling sick to your stomach are also common warning signs.
Stay well hydrated. The body perspires in the cold just as it does under other conditions, making fluid consumption as important as any other time of the year.
Many experts recommend consuming one half your body weight in ounces of fluid daily. Most of this intake should be water, but food and beverages that contain fluids (provided they do not contain caffeine) can be counted toward this amount.
For safety and peace of mind, it is wise to have a checkup before you start an exercise program if you haven’t had one lately.
Whatever your objectives, the rule is to start building strength, stamina and endurance gradually. Avoid the urge to do too much too soon.
Marjie Gilliam is an International Sports Sciences Association Master certified personal trainer and fitness consultant. E-mail: OHTrainer@aol.com. Her website is .
