Dress right, stretch, and eat well during frigid temperatures

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Just like a motor needing to be started minutes before driving in the cold, the human body should also be prepared before heading out in the frigid weather.

The first safety tip people think about when heading out in colder weather is to dress appropriately to prevent serious illnesses. Something that most people forget is that along with serious illnesses like hypothermia, the muscles in the human body aren’t well suited for harsh, frigid conditions.

With the body’s muscles constricting more than usual in the cold, you begin to lose range of motion, making it easier for your nerves to pinch and making you more prone to dehydration and cramping.

“The vascularity is always constricted, so the blood flow to the muscles isn’t working real good in the morning, and it’s really not working good when you’re walking out to sub-zero temperatures. We always call it the jellying phenomenon, just like a diesel engine where everything is jelled up; things aren’t moving real good and if the blood flow to the muscle is not moving real good the muscles aren’t going to move real good,” explained ABCD Mountain View Chiropractic’s Dr. Josh Biberdorf.

Starting your mornings by stretching before heading out into the frigid temperatures is one step in the process of avoiding any accidents on your commute to work or just starting your day.

“Make sure you’re eating good, so in the morning it’s good to have a good protein-based meal. The biggest thing is to stay away from processed foods, so things like cereal or processed sugary bars, those types of things, but to have a good solid protein, whether that’s eggs and some breakfast sausage, carbohydrates: I recommend fresh fruit; I don’t recommend grain-based carbohydrates and some quality fats.”

Most importantly, if you are planning on heading out in temperatures below freezing, be sure to dress for the weather to avoid any serious conditions such as frostbite, hypothermia, trench foot, or chilblains.

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