DALLAS, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- If watching the Winter Olympics on TV is inspiration to start exercising more, armchair athletes need not wait for warmer weather, a U.S. Olympian says.
Olympic champion runner Dr. Peter Snell, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, says people can easily find alternatives to a bracing outdoor workout, like joining a gym or fitness center, or walking inside a shopping mall.
However, exercise outdoors is still possible in cold or wet weather if people have proper clothing that will protect from the wind chill.
"You'll also need fabrics that keep moisture away from your body and that help keep heat from building up as your body temperature rises from the activity," Snell says in a statement. "If you're exercising vigorously, you may not even notice the cold."
