The Cool Down

Winter is here and Christmas has finally come.  First off, merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.  As it gets colder, it is important to continue training.  I love training outdoors.  I love the urban jungle environmental training and obstacle courses.
Most of you, new to exercise are not acclimated to the cold.  I have a variety of tips to help you continue your training, especially in the colder weather.
Breathing Control
Breathing control is a basic of component exercises.  Inhale on the eccentric contraction (the loading or stretch).  Then exhale on the concentric contraction (the push or squeeze).  During aerobic or high intensity exercise, it is important to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth.  Remember to take deep breaths.
Now, it is freezing cold outside and the weather sucks.  You don't even know why you bothered coming out here to workout.  Here is a little secret.  Breathe in through your nose.  Why?  The nostrils intake the air.  The path from the nose to the throat causes the air the spiral through.  It is sort of like a K&N cold air intake.  The spiral whirlwind humidifies and warms the air.
Breathe in through your mouth and your vocal chords will suffer.  You will get a sore throat.  Your training session will just be terrible.
Head Gear
Strap on your helmet, and get ready for this dangerous ride.  Okay, maybe it is not that scary, but head gear is still important.  You lose a lot of heat through the top of your head.  So maintain your body temperature by protecting your head.
Wear a hat, beanie, cap, hoodie, or jacket.  You know your body and how you react to the cold, just be prepared.
Clothing
Dress up like an Eskimo!  Well, dress in layers.  Always have multiple thin layers of clothing for your upper and lower body.  You can always take the extra layers off once you warm up.  You cannot put them on if you didn't bring them though.
Be sure to warm up properly first before taking off the additional layers.  Taking off the layers too soon will cause your muscles to be tight and you will be injury prone.
Do not do static stretches, especially in the cold weather!  You are extremely likely to pull a muscle.  Not good at all.
Hand Care
It is important to keep your hands warm, moist, and dry.  Bring a pair of gloves, have a front pouch on your hoodie, or bring a hot hands pack.
Post-workout use hand moisturizer.  That has always been a hard lesson learned for me.  Don't make the same mistake as I did.
Exercise Variables
Steady paced full body exercise will keep the blood circulating.  Do not stop for excessively long rests.  We often think about getting a workout in for the day.  When you aren't used to the cold, this is a bad idea to do just one workout.
Here is a session outline to follow:
10 minutes proper warm up outdoors.
20 minutes outdoors.
Return inside.  Rest for 30 minutes.
20 minutes exercise outdoors.
10 minutes cool down indoors.
Another scenario:
10 minutes warm up indoors.
30 minutes exercise outdoors.
10 minutes run outdoors.
10 minutes core activation indoors.