One of the best ways to prevent your weight and fitness from going up and down is to continue getting enough exercise all year round, even during the winter when it is cold and quite possibly dark outside. It is, of course, important to ensure you are warm enough when you go out and do your winter running, but it is equally important from a safety point of view to make sure that other people, particularly vehicle drivers, can see you clearly. To achieve this, you will need to invest in some good high visibility running gear.
Modify Existing Clothing With Reflective Tape
If you have been running for a while, the chances are you will have amassed quite a lot of shirts and other running attire already. Some of the top brands produce clothing which has reflective features built into it. However, much of the kit available at the budget end will not have this. Luckily, there are plenty of readily available products which will allow you to modify an existing shirt, by adding some reflective tape. You can use Scotchlite reflective tape, which has an adhesive backing; or go for the iron-on variety made by a company such as Lightweights, which makes regular high visibility tape, but also packs of useful pre-cut shapes. All of these will help you light up in the dark when a car approaches with its headlights on.
If you are happy spending more money, or you simply do not wish to cover your nice running shirts in do-it-yourself tape, then you can opt for a specialized reflective running jacket or other outer garment. Most running jackets have reflective features built into their design already. The rationale behind this is that they are worn to keep you warm in cold weather. So it is highly likely you will be wearing them in the winter when the days are shorter. These products do a good job and there will be no problem at all being seen from quite a long distance away.
You can also buy reflective hi viz running vests, which are extremely lightweight, and can simply be slipped over your other running gear, so even if you decide to run in your favourite black running top, you will still be clearly visible.
These are some of the best things you can wear in order to be seen and be safe when running during the dark evenings of winter. You can also use smaller accessories in addition to a good hi viz jacket. For example, running beanies and armbands are available made out of reflective materials. But do remember that they are best used in conjunction with a nice, bright top – not instead of one.