Running doesn’t seem like a winter sport, does it? When it’s cold and blustery, it’s not attractive. It gets dark early. It doesn’t feel right! You should be inside sipping on hot cocoa, not braving the elements. As an avid endurance runner, I enjoy running just about year-round. It can get tough during these humid Tennessee summers, but generally speaking, I see it as an all-year event.
When I looked into it, I found that there are benefits and drawbacks to running in every season. If we were to pick, though, I doubt many would select winter as their running season of choice. That said, the colder weather offers some unique benefits and opportunities to endurance runners.
4 Reasons to Run More During the Winter
1) You maximize fat burn.
Fat and winter seem to go hand-in-hand. “Storing up” and concepts like hibernation bring them to mind as a pair. However, that combination doesn’t have to involve putting on your proverbial winter coat. No — the winter can actually help facilitate fat burn as much as its reputation may be otherwise.
Our bodies hold two different kinds of fat: brown fat and white fat. There is a gradient between. White fat is the unwanted fat that we want to get rid of for our health and mobility’s sake. Brown fat is used by the body as “kindling.” It’s burnt for energy. Exposing your body to the cold can actually shift white fat brown, making it easier to burn off via exercise.
Not only this but winter — cold weather — is actually the ideal environment for running. This is because there’s less heat stress on your body, as the outside conditions help maintain a desirable body temp. This makes it easier to run in general, whereas a hot and humid environment is more physically taxing.
2) Running fights Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Seasonal Affective Disorder is an environmentally-triggered mood disorder that impacts some 3 million Americans each year. Sufferers may experience depression, fatigue, withdrawal, and overall feelings of hopelessness. It tends to begin and end at the same time each year — towards the end of fall and on into winter.
Sufferers, on top of feeling emotionally low, may experience physical symptoms, such as hypersomnia (oversleeping) and weight gain, much like a hibernating animal.
One of the best tools for naturally fighting depression — including SAD — is exercise, particularly running. The endorphin release associated with exercise combined with great exposure to sunlight can mitigate the effects of SAD on an individual and increase energy levels.
3) You offset holiday binging.
Listen: we all enjoy sweets and ciders during the holidays. There’s nothing wrong with a little holiday indulgence. That said, we also want to stay on top of our health and wellness. While exercising in order to eat more is not recommended, regular winter exercise can help balance out your partaking in Christmas cookies. Because we tend to eat more during the holidays, why would you not continue to run and exercise?
It might not totally stop holiday weight gain, but it will certainly help keep your from slipping into patterns of overeating and sedentary living. A word of warning: really, don’t exercise just do you can “earn more calories” to eat.
That’s not really how the body works. Remember, no calories are equal. You still want to focus, as much as possible, on healthy, useful fuel for your body.
4) Your immune system will thank you.
We often associate this time of year with cold and flu, but it’s an old wives’ tale to think that getting chilly causes you to get sick. In fact, quite the opposite. When our bodies are cold, blood flow centralizes around the heart and moves away from the surface of the skin. This, in turn, encourages blood circulation. Blood circulation is necessary for lowering the risk of injury and expediting recovery — be it from an injury or from a cold.
Not only does running improve your immune system in general, but the cold helps, too. That’s not even mentioning the vitamins you receive from the sun while outdoors!
What motivates you to run in less-than-ideal seasons and circumstances? Share your tactics in the comments.