Something I’ve noticed about spring: in addition to flowers coming out, people come out. It’s rough, when you’re an introvert. Just this past week, I’ve seen twice the number of joggers in my neighborhood. Oh, and cyclists have doubled as well. Even bikes hauling kids. And some joggers push strollers. I even saw a guy rucking (walking with a 55-pound backpack on). A lot of these people I’ve never seen before. And I’ve been walking the neighborhood all winter. Just four weeks ago I was out jogging with nearly a foot of snow on the ground.

Something I’ve never understood is how people don’t exercise (or get out at all) when the weather is cold. I hear this a lot from my patients. “It’s too cold.” In my region of the U.S. (coastal Virginia), our winters really aren’t bad compared to a lot of places. This past one was a bit different than what we’re used to, though, with two different rounds of snowfall, the latter being the most snow we’ve had in 15 years. We had a few days in which the high temps didn’t reach 30. That’s cold.

I have to get out. Even in the cold, on a sunny day, the outdoors is wonderful. The benefits of outdoor exercise are great: vitamin D exposure/intake, joy, peace (rather than depression & anxiety that plague our culture), stronger relationships (if done with someone).

Bundle up and it’s not so bad. Wear two pairs of gloves. Put on some long johns or thermals. Fleece hats. This winter I discovered a life saver: Hand Warmers – little white pouches you can shake to make a chemical reaction that generates heat. Then stuff ‘em into your double gloves or even in your running shoes (apparently they do make foot warmers). Lifechanging. I’m not kidding. Especially when biking in January. I wish they had finger warmers. I have heard people get heated handlebars for their motorcycles – maybe I could look into that.

As an introvert, springtime means more interactions with people. It’s something I love about winter: beaches, parks, sidewalks are generally empty. My pup can run off leash in most places, and no one is around to give us a hard time about it. But as a health care provider, I am happy to see that people are now taking advantage of the longer days and warmer weather: walking, running, biking, rucking. Movement is the best medicine. I truly believe a lot of health problems and problems in general would be solved if people just worked out. And, it’s nice to not need handwarmers, multiple layers, and headlamps. Soon enough, my patients will be saying “It’s too hot.” ~