How to Stay Safe Exercising in Cold Weather

It's the time of year to put away your summer and fall gear if you live in Wisconsin, and getting ready for sleet, snow, and ice on the pathways and roadways.  It's far easier to get injured or get exposed to dangerous weather conditions as well.  However, that doesn't mean you need to stop exercising!  I personally like to take things indoors - hitting the treadmill as opposed to keep running when it's so dreary (and dark!) out.  Treadmills are nice because you can pace yourself a little better from day to day, or even minute to minute, unless you have a training watch or other device.  The problem with treadmills, in my opinion, is that I need a changing room and locker (at a minimum) - and a place to shower doesn't hurt either.  Being an all-weather cyclist I'm accustomed to taking a spill or two on my bike every winter.  I have never been hurt that bad - the impact is usually on my shoulder or butt.  Falling on ice when you're on your feet puts you at a greater risk of a sprain or twist of some kind.  That's my experience, anyhow.  I've been thinking about getting a pair of Yaktrax (see photo below) to put on the outside of my cross-trainers.  We'll see.  I am really afraid of an injury - especially to a knee or ankle.  It would sink my exercise goals and set me back quite a ways if I even miss a couple weeks of running.  I know that swimming is a good option to recover from an injury (and works well in the winter, too), but that will definitely require more time (the closest one is at a local community college, about a half hour bike ride away).  We'll see about that too!  Meanwhile, here's a good article on exercising safely in the winter from Lifehacker.  Peace!

Link:  http://lifehacker.com/5864465/how-to-stay-safe-when-exercising-outdoors-in-cold-weather