Points to consider as you take up winter activities

The start of cold winter weather often signals a change in sports activities — whether it’s trading in-line skates for snow skis or replacing outdoor runs with treadmill workouts.

While fair-weather exercise may have put you in good shape, it’s important to understand that it can take time for your body to adjust to new types of physical activity.

“There can be quite a difference in the types of muscles used and intensity of workouts between different sporting activities,” notes Dr. Kim Harmon, sports medicine physician at the Hall Health Primary Care Center on campus. “You may be in great shape from running all summer, but when you go out to ski you’ll soon find out you’re using different muscles.”

Preparing for winter sports activities can help ease this transition and reduce injuries. When it comes to snow skiing, for example, cardiovascular endurance gained from summertime activities can be important. But Harmon points out that skiers exert themselves in short, quick bursts of energy — actions that are different from exercises such as walking or jogging. Harmon suggests that instead of walking or running several miles at a steady speed, try interval workouts — speed walking or sprinting for short distances and then walking or jogging to recover.

Building up quadriceps and hamstring muscles is also important for downhill and cross-country skiing. This can be done by performing simple strength-building exercises such as lunges or wall sits (resting against a wall as if sitting in a chair, sliding your back up the wall to straighten legs and then sliding back down to a sitting position).

If joining a local gym is your solution to staying active during the winter, you should note that working out on stationary equipment provides a different workout from running or biking outdoors.

“Using a stair climber for 30 minutes is not the same as running for 30 minutes,” Harmon points out. “People will find they need to alter the intensity or duration of their workouts in order to reach their target heart rate.”

For all sports, Harmon suggests proper stretching to avoid muscle tears in less developed areas of the body. For quick movement sports, such as downhill skiing, stretch before exercising. For endurance sports, such as cross-country skiing, it’s fine to stretch afterward.

Of course, not everyone changes sports during the winter weather. For those who may continue sports like running or biking outdoors throughout the winter, it’s important to make the proper changes to ensure safety and reduce chance of injury. Harmon offers these suggestions: