Winter is coming, but don’t hide away inside.

Luckily in Chico, temperatures hardly ever reach freezing. However, people like to get out and be active, especially in the mornings and evenings.

I prefer running and getting my workouts done in the morning, sometimes in Bidwell Park. I’ve just been having one problem — what do I wear?

At dawn, it has been in the 40s and 50s when I head out, so I wear sweatpants and long-sleeves. But after 10 minutes, I am pouring sweat and wish I hadn’t gone with layers.

Here is some advice I have from experience:

Wear the right materials. Don’t wear cotton or fleece because these fabrics absorb sweat.

Try to find a quality long-sleeve shirt, jacket and pants made of polyester. My favorite outfit for cold weather is my Cold Gear Under Armour turtleneck and Adidas soccer sweatpants.

If it’s warmer, say 60 degrees or higher, there is another solution.

If I can’t get out the door, I will leave my sweats on for a while and then take them off for the majority of my run.

For hiking and biking, it is easy to solve this problem by bringing a backpack. However, most people don’t run with backpacks.

Try doing a 10 minute loop around the car and dropping off the extra clothing and then continuing to run. It is very important to warm up muscles, especially in cold weather, to avoid injuries.

So, the 10 minutes of being cold and running the loop is completely worth it.

Aside from the regular benefits of exercise, there are other reasons to go out and exercise in cold weather.

People perform better in the cold because there is less heat stress on the body, according to Shape.com. There is also the big plus of avoiding that weight gain from Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

Lastly, being active outside in the cold can speed up the metabolism, tricking it from going into the seasonal slowdown of the metabolism.

Get the right winter athletic clothes, bundle up and go for a run, hike or bike ride. What more excuse is needed than the beautiful fall colors and cool weather in Chico?

Risa Johnson can be reached at [email protected] or @risapisa on Twitter.