With cold, snow and ice at their most severe this time of year, many people use the weather as an excuse to abandon an outdoor exercise program.

With a few simple precautions, you can continue to exercise outdoors during the harsh Pennsylvania winter and continue to reap the benefits year-round.

To safely exercise in the cold, the amount of heat the body loses must be controlled.

Heat loss is affected by both environmental factors and insulation.

Excessive heat loss can result in maladies such as hypothermia or frostbite.

You should always check both the air temperature and the wind chill factor (the combined effect of both temperature and wind) before heading outdoors on a cold day.

In general, there is little danger for individuals with proper attire exposed to temperatures of 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, danger does exist for those with exposed skin when the wind chill factor falls below minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you are outdoors in temperatures below your comfort level, it is a good idea to warm the air you are inhaling.

Also, by wearing a mask or scarf over your nose and mouth, you can improve your breathing.

After checking the weather, take insulation into account.

Insulation is the combined effect of body fat plus clothing.

Those with more body fat are actually better insulated and therefore lose less heat.

More important in regulating heat loss, however, is proper clothing choices.

To maintain comfort outdoors, careful selection of clothing will add to your insulation barrier and allow you to perform at your best.

Clothing traps air, which is a poor conductor of heat.

If the trapped air cannot conduct heat away from the body, temperature will be maintained.

Based on this information, it is best to choose clothing that will trap air close to the body. Clothing that traps air close to the body simultaneously wicks sweat away from the skin's surface.

Synthetic materials are great for this purpose, heavy cotton sweats or other tightly woven materials are not. Wearing layers is a great idea because it will allow you to quickly adjust the amount of insulation as your workout progresses and body temperature rises.

In addition, it is essential to keep the hands and feet warm. Cold weather causes blood to be directed away from hands and feet to the center of the body to keep vital internal organs warm.

However, superficial warming of the hands will return blood flow and prevent tissue damage.

In contrast, blood flow will not return to the feet unless the temperature of your torso is normal or slightly higher above normal.

Therefore, to keep the feet warm it is imperative to keep the rest of your body warm at all times. It is also important to keep your head covered.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine heat loss from the head and neck may be as much as 50 percent of the total heat lost by your body.

With a few simple precautions you can continue your outdoor exercise program throughout the winter months and be fit and healthy year-round.