Should You Exercise If You Have A Cold?

Colds are more common in winter, but you don't necessarily have to stop exercising if you're feeling under the weather. According to Dr Keith Hopcroft, a GP from Basildon in Essex, use common sense and listen to your body.

"If your symptoms are not severe and you generally feel OK, then you can exercise. If you feel absolutely rotten, then it's best not to go."

However, it is important not to exercise if you have a fever. A fever is when your body's temperature is 38C (100.4F) or above and is rarely a symptom of a cold.

"If you exercise with a fever," says Dr Hopcroft, "it'll make you feel worse. In very rare cases, exercising with a fever can lead to the virus affecting your heart, which can be dangerous."

If you have asthma, take extra care when exercising in winter as cold air can trigger symptoms. Use your inhaler before you exercise and have it with you during your activity.

Keep Warm

If you're starting a new exercise regime, don't overdo it. Slowly build the amount of exercise you do. If you can't manage 30 minutes in one go, break it up into 10-minute chunks.

Always warm-up for up to 10 minutes before you start. Walk at a brisk pace, or jog to warm your muscles.

Make sure you're warm if you're going outside. Wear several layers to keep the heat in. A lot of heat escapes through your head, so consider wearing a hat as well.

Source:nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/pages/winterexercise.aspx

Reasons To Exercise In Winter

Research has shown time and again that regular exercise strengthens your immune system so it can fight off bacterial and viral infections. This becomes particularly important in winter when colds and flu rear their ugly heads.When you exercise and get your blood pumping, immune cells circulate through your body more quickly helping them seek and destroy infections. But this boost only lasts for a few hours, so exercise needs to be regular for long-term effects.

Whether it’s the usual winter blues or the more serious SAD (seasonal affective disorder) putting a gloom over the colder months. A daily workout releases feel-good, de-stress brain chemicals, gives you a break from the daily grind and helps ease depression. Plus, if you combine exercise with the great outdoors you can cheer yourself up even more!

We know that after exercise, the brain releases the “feel-good” chemicals serotonin and dopamine, which can help to reduce anxiety and depression while boosting wellbeing,”45 minutes in the day could change your whole outlook on winter!!

Being cooped up with nothing but heaters to keep the air moving means fresh air is much harder to come by in winter! Generally, the air outside is healthier then that inside so going for a walk or run outside gives your lungs a chance to detox and breathe deeply without concern for breathing in other people’s bugs (at home or from the office!)

In the colder months it is so easy to turn to comfort food, because its so satisfying and it makes us feel good, well for a little anyway, and then we feel guilty. Its so easy to become a hibernating bear! No wonder it’s known as the ‘winter weight gain’ period. The average person puts on up to 4 kg! The only way to make up for those added treats is to increase the amount of exercise you’re doing. Try and balance your energy in and energy out then the shredding of clothes in spring wont be such a shock!

Source:livelifegetactive.com/blog/exercise-in-winter/

Beating the Winter Blues

It's thought the winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), affects around 2 million people in the UK and more than 12 million people across northern Europe. It can affect people of any age, including children.

According to Sue Pavlovich of the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association (SADA), these 10 tips could help. "Everyone's affected differently by SAD, so what works for one person won't for another," she says. "But there's usually something that will help, so don't give up if the first remedy you try doesn't work. Just keep trying."

1. Keep active

Research has shown that a daily one-hour walk in the middle of the day could be as helpful as light treatment for coping with the winter blues. 

2. Get outside

Go outdoors in natural daylight as much as possible, especially at midday and on brighter days. Inside your home, choose pale colours that reflect light from outside, and sit near windows whenever you can.

3. Keep warm

If your symptoms are so bad that you can't live a normal life, see your GP for medical help. Being cold makes you more depressed. It's also been shown that staying warm can reduce the winter blues by half.

Keep warm with hot drinks and hot food. Wear warm clothes and shoes, and aim to keep your home between 18C and 21C (or 64F and 70F degrees).

4. Eat healthily

A healthy diet will boost your mood, give you more energy and stop you putting on weight over winter. Balance your craving for carbohydrates, such as pasta and potatoes, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

5. See the light

Some people find light therapy effective for seasonal depression. One way to get light therapy at home in winter is to sit in front of a light box for up to two hours a day.

Light boxes give out very bright light at least 10 times stronger than ordinary home and office lighting. They're not available on the NHS and cost around £100 or more.

"Some people find that using a dawn simulator [a bedside light, connected to an alarm clock, that mimics a sunrise and wakes you up gradually] as well as a light box can enhance the beneficial effect," says Pavlovich.

6. Take up a new hobby

Keeping your mind active with a new interest seems to ward off symptoms of SAD, says Pavlovich. "It could be anything, such as playing bridge, singing, knitting, joining a gym, keeping a journal, or writing a blog. The important thing is that you have something to look forward to and concentrate on," she adds.

7. See your friends and family

It's been shown that socialising is good for your mental health and helps ward off the winter blues. Make an effort to keep in touch with people you care about and accept any invitations you get to social events, even if you only go for a little while.

8. Talk it through

Talking treatments such as counselling, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you cope with symptoms. See your GP for information on what's available locally on the NHS and privately.

9. Join a support group

Think about joining a support group. Sharing your experience with others who know what it's like to have SAD is very therapeutic and can make your symptoms more bearable.

SADA is the UK's only registered charity dedicated to SAD. It costs £20 (£10 for concessions) to join, and you'll receive an information pack, regular newsletters, discounts on products such as light boxes, and contacts for telephone support.

10. Seek help

If your symptoms are so bad that you can't live a normal life, see your GP for medical help. 

Source: nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/dealing-with-winter-blues-sad.aspx

How The Cold Affects Our Life

WE BURN UP MORE CALORIES . . .

Our bodies work harder in the cold. The heart pumps harder, teeth chatter and bodies shiver. Shivering for ten minutes can burn as many calories as an hour’s workout in the gym. Scientists believe shivering activates a substance in the body called ‘brown fat’, which, unlike the regular white fat, burns calories rapidly to generate heat.

. . . AND FEEL MUCH HUNGRIER

On a freezing day, most of us crave hot snacks (soups, stews and puddings). A study at the University of Georgia showed people get through 200 more calories a day once the nights draw in.

Many researchers believe it’s an instinct from our days as hunters and scavengers that makes us stockpile calories for the winter.

THE STARS SHINE BRIGHTER

There’s nothing better for stargazing than a clear, crisp winter night — as long as you’ve got a rug, hat and hot drink.

In the summer, when the air is warmer and more humid, light passing from stars to the Earth is buffeted and distorted by the atmosphere, making stars appear to twinkle more. But in the winter there is less atmospheric disturbance and stars seem clearer.

WOMEN WEAR MORE RED

Winter weather makes us pick warmer coloured clothes, according to a Canadian study which found women are more likely to wear red and pink in winter than in the summer, but only when they are ovulating.

Researchers suspect women are subconsciously choosing ‘seductive colours’ when they are at their most fertile.

In the summer there are other ways of dressing sexily — such as skimpy, revealing clothes — so colour is less important, the theory goes.

DANGERS OF TINGLY TOES

In cold weather blood vessels near the skin constrict, diverting blood to the centre of the body to reduce heat loss. That’s why fingers and toes get cold and numb.

One in five people suffer from painful Raynaud’s Phenomenon — a condition caused by blood vessels narrowing too much in response to cold.

HEARTS MUST WORK HARDER

A chill in the air raises your heart rate and blood pressure, forces your heart to work harder to stay warm and makes your blood stickier, raising the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Every fall of one degree celsius is associated with 200 extra people having a heart attack within the next month, according to the British Medical Journal.

OUR HEARING GETS DAMAGED

Regular exposure to cold and water over many years can trigger the growth of bone in the outer ear canal, causing infections and sometimes hearing loss.

The condition — known as surfer’s ear — afflicts surfers, sailers, swimmers, skiers and snowboarders.

Ear plugs are the easiest way to help prevent problems.

WE BECOME MORE DECISIVE

When it’s hot we struggle to make complex decisions, while cold weather helps us think straighter.

In laboratory experiments, people are better at spotting mistakes in written text in cool rooms and find it easier to select the best value mobile phone packages when temperatures are lower.

When we are too hot, our bodies divert energy from our brains into cooling us, making it harder for our brains to function.

Source:dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3448736/Why-cold-snap-make-man-f-f-frisky-bizarre-ways-lives-affected-freezing-weather.html#ixzz40S1hHgXB 

Exercising In Winter

Here in the UK we are still enjoying a bit of warm sunshine. Many people exercise in the warmer weather but then fall out of routine as the darker, colder nights draw in.

Here are some tips to help you stay active......

More energy

Regular exercise will make you feel more energetic, which should make it a little easier to get out of your warm bed on cold, dark mornings.

Your body’s defences will also benefit. There is some limited research suggesting that moderate exercise can strengthen the immune system, thereby reducing the risk of coughs and colds. However, more research is needed in this area.

If the shorter days are affecting your mood, being active can improve your sense of wellbeing.

You may be tempted to eat more during the colder months. Exercising will help you manage your weight better and keep your body in shape.

Warm up

If you’re starting a new exercise regime, don’t overdo it. Slowly build the amount of exercise you do. If you can't manage 30 minutes in one go, break it up into 10-minute chunks.

Always warm-up for up to 10 minutes before you start. Walk at a brisk pace, or jog in order to warm your muscles.

Make sure you’re warm if you’re going outside. Wear several layers to keep the heat in. A lot of heat escapes through your head, so consider wearing a hat as well.

Stay safe

If you're exercising after dark, keep to well-lit areas and wear bright and reflective clothing. Ideally, exercise with a friend, but always tell someone where you’re going.

Avoid listening to music while running outdoors. Not hearing what’s going on around you can make you vulnerable.

If rain or ice is making exercise dangerous, do it another day. The weather might be better tomorrow, but an injury could take weeks to heal.

If you have a cold

Colds are more common in winter, but you don’t necessarily have to stop exercising if you’re feeling under the weather. According to Dr Keith Hopcroft, a GP from Basildon in Essex, use common sense and listen to your body.

“If your symptoms are not severe and you generally feel OK, then you can exercise. If you feel absolutely rotten, then it’s best not to go.”

However, it’s important not to exercise if you have a fever. A fever is when your body’s temperature is 38°C (100.4°F) or above and is rarely a symptom of a cold. “If you exercise with a fever,” says Dr Hopcroft, “it’ll make you feel worse. In very rare cases, exercising with a fever can lead to the virus affecting your heart, which can be dangerous.”

If you have asthma, take extra care when exercising in winter as cold air can trigger symptoms. Dr Hopcroft recommends using your inhaler before you exercise and taking it with you during your activity.

Something you enjoy

Choose an activity that you enjoy. Now might be the time to try something new that you can do indoors, such as:

• archery
• badminton 
• bowls
• cycling
• dancing
• curling
• fencing
• fitness classes
• five-a-side football
• handball
• judo
• pilates
• racketball
• squash
• swimming
• table tennis
• tai chi
• yoga

You don’t even have to stop doing outdoor activities.

If you enjoy running, don't let cold weather put you off. 

You could take a long walk at the weekend or go for a bike ride. Just wrap up warm and be careful if it’s wet or icy. 

If being outside when it's windy, raining or snowing doesn’t appeal, rent a fitness video and try doing some exercise at home.

Source:nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/Winterexercise.aspx