by Jess Evans
December 11, 2018
As the cooler weather moves in for winter, I find myself constantly assessing what I should wear for my various outdoor activities. The fear of being too cold or getting sweaty and then cold keeps me second guessing on my attire. Winter dressing is such a chore.
First I have to know what I have. Tights of various thickness. Pant shell layers. Gloves of various thickness. Knit hats and buffs. Light jackets to heavier jackets. Long sleeve to sleeveless shirts. Wool socks… well, I always wear wool socks no matter the temperature unless it is super hot. I can pull all these clothes out and toss them on the floor for a true analysis of my attire needs.
Once I have a good idea of the range of clothes I may choose from, then the temperature plus wind chill must be reviewed for the appropriate attire. Breezy to windy days require wind breakers to reduce the chilling of the sweat on my skin as much as possible. Recently I ran on a sunny 32 degree day with a cold wind, wind chill unknown. I found that my clothing choice was not quite right. My ears hurt from the cold wind blowing into them, and my arms were chilled. Wind can be particularly troublesome at finding the right combination of clothes to stay warm enough, but not too warm.
Additionally, I must consider what type of activity I am engaging in. If I am running, less thick clothes are required than biking. If I am walking, piling on the clothes is a good idea. How various parts of my body respond as I begin to warm up in my exercise is important to note. My hands often get too hot while running, but biking I need to cover them when it is cold. In hot weather, I do not like to wear bike gloves. My feet always sweat, so wool socks seem to do the trick year round. My lower back can get really hot too, while my arms get cold. Arm warmers may be helpful for this problem where I can layer more on my arms while keeping my torso lightly clothed, although I have not tried this technique yet.
So much to consider, and often I must utilize the “trial and error” technique because the weather conditions rarely stay the same day to day. Unfortunately, it may take nearly an hour to determine what to wear and then put it on, second guess, take something off, and put another item on. Donning the right clothes for outdoor exercising should not be this time consuming.
