The cold weather is now well established. This situation may make some unhappy, but this is not the case for outdoor and winter sports enthusiasts. For them, the fun part has just begun.
One unpleasant thing that can happen to even the greatest winter lovers, however, is getting cold. To avoid this situation, we obviously have to dress well, but some nutritional advice can also help us.
In fact, limited glycogen stores put us at greater risk of feeling cold or suffering from hypothermia. Glycogen stores are actually our carbohydrate stores that are stored in our muscles and liver. It is therefore important to provide our body with good carbohydrate intake, such as fruits or cereal products throughout the day.
If you feel cold or exhausted during your activity even taking into account the points mentioned earlier, it may be because your glycogen stores have run out. Consuming carbohydrates during your exercise could therefore help you! So you could bring you a snack high in carbohydrates like a homemade muffin or a piece of fruit or simply a hot sweet drink. This one will bring you the energy you need while warming you up a bit. Among these choices, we could count a good hot chocolate or a warmed sports drink (yes yes, it can be taken hot too). If you want to make it homemade, you can simply warm up your favorite juice by mixing it with the same amount of hot water and a pinch of salt and you’re done!
If you want to learn more about what you should consume during physical activity, do not hesitate to check out the article titled: “Nutrition during training”.
Winter has never been so pleasant!
Burke, L. et Deakin, V. (2015). Clinical sports nutrition (5th edition). Australie : McGraw-Hill Education.
Joanie Séguin, Dt. P.
Nutristionnist at AXiO Sport Medicine Clinic
