Five essential safety tips for outdoor ice skating

Ice skating outdoors during the winter months can be exhilarating and fun. But taking to the ice outside can be dangerous. So, if you plan on ice skating outside this winter, consider five tips to help you have a fun and safe time.

If you aren't dressed appropriately while ice skating outside, you could be putting yourself at risk for developing hypothermia.

Dress in layers to help prevent hypothermia and to keep you warm and comfortable.

Another way to reduce your risk of developing hypothermia is to avoid wearing clothes made from cotton, since cotton lets your body heat escape.

Ice skating requires a lot of energy. To keep your energy up, eat a good quality meal.

Be sure to include complex carbohydrates, such as pasta and quinoa in your pre-skating meal. Also, include some fresh fruits and lean protein and veggies, such as apples, bananas, chicken, turkey, broccoli, and spinach.

These foods can also help boost your energy levels and avoid fatigue while ice skating outside.

Ice skating and falling go hand in hand.

Since falling is inevitable, learning how to land on the ice correctly can minimize your chances of receiving a serious injury from falling while skating. To fall correctly on the ice lean forward with your hands in front of you and extend your arms and hands to the ice to help break your fall.

Also try to keep your head as elevated as possible while falling to prevent hitting your head on the ice.

And, after a fall, use your hands and knees to slowly get up off the ice.

If you've planned on ice skating outside months in advance, exercising can help you prepare.

Some exercises to prepare you for your ice skating adventures include leg presses, lunges and squats. These exercises assist in building lower body strength, which can help you balance yourself while ice skating.

It is important to stay hydrated during any physical activity as intense as ice skating can be. But, it's even more important to stay hydrated while ice skating because physical activity in the cooler months makes your body use more of its fluid supply to maintain an adequate body temperature.

To stave off dehydration while ice skating, drink one to two eight ounce cups of water at least two hours before getting on the ice.

Also, to avoid dehydration, limit your intake of fruit juices and sports drinks because the sugar and artificial substances that most of these kinds of drinks contain can accelerate fluid loss.

Keep these five essential safety tips in mind before you lace up for an outdoor skating jaunt, and you'll be able to keep yourself and those around you safer while you're out on the ice.