SPORT AND COLD, A WINNING COMBINATION
With the arrival of the winter season, many people stop doing outdoor sports frightened by low temperatures or for fear of catching a cold; nothing more wrong!
If done with due precautions, sporting activity in the cold is good for the body and helps the immune system.
WHY IS SPORT IN THE COLD GOOD FOR THE ORGANISM?
Let's start with an important element: living at low temperatures burns more fat; when the body has to respond to the cold, it begins to transform the reserve fat into brown fat, to be burned.
Just being outdoors in low temperatures forces the body to burn more calories to maintain the right temperature.
To exaggerate we can give the example of when one suffers a lot from the cold with lots of chills and tremors due to low temperatures; at that moment the body burns 5 times more calories than when it is warm.
Also for this reason, continuing to practice physical activity in the cold further helps our body to burn more calories and faster; it must also be said that there is some more risk in doing physical activity in the cold, one above all that of any muscle problems.
SPORT IN THE COLD, THE IMMUNE SYSTEM THANKS
The immune system benefits from the cold for two important reasons:
exposure to cold increases the number of white blood cells .
Exposure to cold reduces states of chronic inflammation thanks to its suppressive effect on pro-inflammatory cytokines (the messengers of the immune system) and increases the number of anti-inflammatory cytokines.
We all know that physical activity also helps fight stress; the production of endorphins is very important for the body since the 'well-being hormone' is important for maintaining an inner balance and consequently also for fighting stress.
HOW TO DRESS WHEN DOING SPORTS IN THE COLD
The ideal, when facing the cold during sports, would be to dress in layers.
Overdressing could prove to be a big mistake when exercising in cold weather.
Exercise generates a significant amount of heat, enough to make you feel much hotter than you actually are. The evaporation of sweat draws heat from your body and you feel cold. The solution is therefore that of clothing that can be taken off and put back on.
The ideal is to wear a thin layer of synthetic material, such as polypropylene, which does not make the body sweat and avoid cotton. Then add a layer of wool or fleece for insulation and top it all off with a waterproof and breathable outer layer.
In cold weather , blood flow is concentrated in the core of the body and leaves the head, hands and feet more exposed to the risk of frostbite. It's best to wear trainers that are slightly larger than usual which allow for the use of thick thermal socks.
Don't forget a hat to protect your head or a headband to protect your ears.
WARMING UP ADEQUATELY HELPS TO AVOID MUSCULAR PROBLEMS
There are many points in favor of the cold, but there are also some potential risks: with low temperatures, muscle injuries become easier and more frequent. To avoid tears and injuries, 15 minutes of gradual warm-up are enough.
Better to avoid cold static stretching: better a short activation phase, such as a light jog for a few minutes, and then dynamic stretching exercises, which allow you to stretch your muscles with controlled movements close to those of the activity we are going to do.
