Originally Posted by
terrymorse
So it's cold out, do you take an outdoor ride or stay indoors?
Well, if you're looking for excuses to stay cozy and warm indoors, cold weather reportedly can:
- cause heart attacks
- damage your lungs
This is from an article by Dr. Mirkin,
Exercising in Cold Weather:
- causes your body to produce adrenalin which constricts your arteries and raises your blood pressure
- thickens your blood and makes it more likely to clot
- causes the liver to make more fibrinogen that increases clotting
- raises cholesterol levels
- may reduce your body temperature, which weakens your heart muscle
- may induce exercise-induced asthma
Hmmmm. Body temperature goes up when I winter ride. If cholesterol remains in balance, then no big deal in a temporary rise. Everyone tars LDL but without it we die. Hydration and vitamin C are good before and after any sort of exercise, and both are thinners. Up here it is so cold and dry that it is important to drink extra water at any time. Your heels and the skin on your fingertips near the edge of the nail can split quite a bit. I glue those splits closed with crazy glue when they occur. Works perfectly. The cold is very tough on the skin of the face, that's for sure. I smear coconut oil on first before going out for a cold ride. Exercise strengthens the heart muscle, and cold weakens(?) it? Therefore, no net health gain or loss. Temporary asthma may occur due to constriction of airways in the lungs due to cold. But, it is temporary.