With fall upon us, our outdoor workouts are getting a little chilly! There are just a few key pieces of clothing that are necessary to keep warm and survive the elements: Fitted pants, a base layer, an insulating layer for your upper body as well as a wind and water-proof outer layer, gloves and a hat.

When running or walking outside in cooler temps, it is important to wear warm pants. While there are many different kinds of pants to choose from, wearing pants made of synthetic materials such as Thermion, Thinsulate, Thermax, Coolmax or polypropolene work the best. On days when it is incredibly windy, a pair of wind-proof track pants on top is a good idea.

The first layer to keep you warm is to be kept close to your skin. Materials such as DryFit, Thinsulate, Thermax, CoolMax, polypropolene or silk work well. For this layer, it is common to think that all you need is a long-sleeved cotton layer. As it turns out cotton is the worst choice, because once cotton becomes wet from sweat, it stays wet and will keep you cold.

Insulating layers for your upper body must be made of an insulating material such as fleece. This layer should have a good balance between trapping air to keep you warm and releasing enough vapor or heat to avoid overheating. Suggested fabrics include Akwatek, Dryline, Polartec, polyester fleece, Microfleece, Thermafleece and Thermax.

The outer layer is incredibly important to block wind and moisture while still allowing heat and moisture to escape, preventing both overheating and chilling. It is suggested that this layer have a zipper, which allows you to zip it up or down to regulate your body temperature. Suggested fabrics include ClimaFit, Gore-Tex, Microsuplex, nylon, Supplex and Windstopper.

While we may not want to think about gloves and hats quite yet, they are necessary pieces to the exercise attire. You can lose up to 30 percent of your body heat through your hands, feet and head. On really cold days, mittens are the best choice, and on chilly days, thin gloves will suffice. Look for fleece or wool when choosing hats, mittens and gloves.

Always dress as if it is 10 degrees cooler that the actual temperature. Winter gear can be found at any running or outdoor store. Don’t let the weather interrupt your fresh air workouts!

Melissa Gerharter MS, RD, CSSD is co-owner of Joust Strength and Fitness of Ann Arbor. She is also a part time lecturer at Eastern Michigan University. She can be reached at melissa@joustfitness.com.