Last week we talked about holiday gifts you can buy to help improve your foot health. But if you can't combine cold weather and exercise during the holiday season, all those gifts won't help protect you from weight gain, meaning your feet will come under extra pressure. Plus, if you don't exercise during winter, when you get back into your workouts next spring, you'll be at greater risk for conditions such as plantar fasciitis. (This painful inflammatory condition is often triggered when you suddenly increase your activity levels.) Want to protect your feet (and your waistline) this winter? Check out Powder Springs podiatrist Dr. Alvin Cowans' top tips for exercising in cold weather.
Cold Weather and Exercise: Finding New Ways to Stay Active ![man inside at computer during winter]()
Here in Georgia, we're typically spared from the frigid temperatures that characterize winter in much of the rest of this country. Still, in the past few years, we've had our share of chilly days. And, especially because we are less accustomed to cooler weather, these drops in temperature can take a major toll on our activity levels.
Still, regardless of the weather, our bodies need to keep moving, even when the thought of going outside feels unbearable. So here are some ways you can keep exercising in the cold without making yourself miserable.
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Have a Dance Party
When the weather outside is frightful, turn your home into a makeshift dance studio to get your cold weather exercise fill. Just tell Alexa to play your favorite tunes, then start to shimmy around the kitchen while you make dinner; the bedroom while you're folding laundry, or anywhere in your house where you have space to move. Before you know it, you'll have worked up a sweat, without ever stepping foot outside. -
Sign Up for Classes or Sports Teams
If you don't want cold weather to put a stop to your exercise routine, winter is the perfect time to try something new. Sign yourself up for a series of boxing classes; try joining an indoor soccer club or make now the time you finally learn to ice skate. The key to this trick is that, once you enroll in a program (and pay for it) you'll have set aside time at least once a week to stay active and keep moving. -
Cold Weather and Exercise: Find Your Inner Child Play
Think you're too old to play video games? Think again! If you want to skip going to the gym in cold weather, you can bring the gym into your home in the form of video games. Today, more than ever, you can find VR games that are played at home, in the toasty warmth, that get you up and off your feet on your quest to victory. -
Bundle Up and Go Outside Anyway
As we mentioned earlier, cold weather can be something of a novelty here in Powder Springs and the other communities Dr. Cowans serves as a podiatrist for Marietta, Smyrna, Dallas, Kennesaw, Austell and Mableton, Georgia. So instead of hiding from cold weather and exercise, why not embrace the drop in temperature at this time of year and head outside anyways! Of course, you'll have to bundle up--don't forget accessories like hats and gloves--but then, when you are outside, you can enjoy anything from a family walk to a solo jog without worrying about the blazing heat we often face when exercising outdoors during other times of the year. Before you know it, you just might find that outdoor exercise in cold weather is your new favorite form of workout!
Protecting Your Feet for Cold Weather and Exercise
While we hope you now see that cooler temperatures shouldn't be an obstacle to staying active, there's one other problem you can't work around so easily: foot & ankle pain! You see, even when the temperatures outside are exactly to your liking, you can't really enjoy a workout when every step you take feels like misery. Even if you decide to push through the pain, you're just likely to end up with greater discomfort...not to mention, a potentially serious injury.
So, what should you do if it's foot pain that's keeping you away from training in cold weather? Stop all activity and take a rest to see if your discomfort resolves in a day or two. Then, if the pain persists, call us at 770-727-0614 or follow this link to make an appointment. When you come into the office, Dr. Cowans will determine the cause of your foot pain and provide a customized treatment plan to get you back on your feet...and back to having cooler temperatures as the only thing standing between you and your very best workout habits!
