The Hot Poop on Cold Workouts

A couple weeks ago, I received an email from a rugby coach encouraging players to keep up with their winter workouts. Included in the email was a link to the New York Times' January 17, 2008, article "Too Cold to Exercise? Try Another Excuse," by Gina Kolata -- which, as the title suggests, blasts that excuse right out of the icy water.

Turns out it's not the cold that'll getcha -- it's the dry air.

I can't say I find this information particularly surprising. I recall running a particularly brutal 400-meter race at a high school indoor track meet in Lamoni, Ia. The dreaded (by me) 400 already didn't need much of a boost to get from really hard to practically unbearable, and the dome that shielded us from the elements -- and any semblance of moisture in the air -- made my efforts anything but a breeze.

When braving the dry, Kolata suggests using a balaclava, or ski mask, to shield your mouth and recycle some of the moisture you exhale, keeping your airway open. In addition, I suggest chewing a piece of gum to shield yourself from your own morning breath.

Another piece of cold-weather-workout equipment I'm lately enamored with is the Burton headphone beanie. I first saw it in Experience Life's product department, Equipped, in the January/February 2007 issue, and upon first sight was gripped with a feverish bout of must-own-that-immediately consumerism. (This is why I try to avoid reading Equipped most months; I simply can't afford to.)

I haven't yet found a pair of ear buds that will stay put in my possibly misshapen(?) ears, so the headphone beanie is a nice alternative to headband-style headphones, which can sometimes get tangled in my mop.

But a word to the wise: Might want to avoid popping into a convenience store for a hard-earned recovery drink afterward wearing these two articles of clothing together.