Athletic success, of course.
Getting ready to go for a run outside or to do some other sort of exercising outside is a very important task. Now I know that I do not really have to tell you all this, but what you wear really depends on what you are going to do. For example, if you are going to be doing something in which you will not be sweating as much or producing a lot of heat, then you should be really bundling up. However, if you are going to be using energy and truly exercising, then there are a few general tips that you should follow.
The first is that you should dress in layers. Do not go outside in an extremely warm sweatshirt thinking that it is too cold outside to be in a thermal shirt or a long-sleeved shirt. You should really never overdress. This is one of the most common mistakes of a rookie winter-exerciser– they overdress. Overdressing has a lot of negatives associated with them. One is that you will sweat more profusely and dehydrate quickly. In fact, you could sweat and become dehydrated just as quickly as had you been running in 95 F temperatures. I’m serious! Even worse is that you could suffer from hypothermia if you stand around in your sweat for too long.
That is also something that you want to remember; do not stand around when you are done. Come inside, get warm, and do not let the sweat turn into ice and either result in you getting frostbite or suffering from hypothermia.
Speaking of frostbite, one of the easiest parts of the body to neglect — your feet. Protecting your feet is extremely important; especially since a lot of your body heat escapes from your feet. While your toes will rarely get cold, it is important to wear proper socks or put your feet inside plastic bags to protect moisture from collecting and freezing. When I say proper socks, I mean non-cotton socks. You really want to invest in Smartwool or some other water-wicking type of sock if you want to protect your feet.
A general rule of thumb when getting ready to exercise outside is to avoid cotton and dress in layers.
