UKH

This could fit in any form really, are there particular techniques for getting the body and mind used to being cold? Or is it just a case of being out in the cold more often?
Aside from raynauds fingers I struggle in the cold when I'm not moving much (running biking etc).

In reply to Pesda potato:

There are good tips in any Google search but staying hydrated is very important, recognising your core temp compared to your extremities and good disciplined routines! Staying focused, knowing you are ok and knowledge of how your own body and brain reacts to prolonged cold exposure is very important. When it's really cold staying relaxed in your shoulders and chest is crucial as breathing can hurt for a while until you adjust. Most of it is about focus, staying positive and being mindful of where you are....and I'm guessing you are choosing to be where you are going! Good luck..

In reply to Pesda potato:

You just get used to it. That's honestly meant to be useful advise. As in, if you have time to just be cold for a while then you'll adapt.
While I was working in Canada I was outside for 9 hours a day in -40c for days on end. By the end of six months, I could do pretty intricate work on my car in a tee shirt when it was -5c.

In reply to mark_wellin:

Exactly that. I work out in the dale's all through winter in a tee shirt and am quite happy, we only run the heating at home if it's below freezing outside.
The downside is anything above 15c gets uncomfortable and anything above 20c is rather debilitating.
On the other side of the coin a mate of mine works in a foundry and he puts a jumper o below 20c and bundles up like an Arctic Explorer if it drops to 10c

In reply to mark_wellin:


Yep, its true. Finding what is the right amount of clothing for you, for whatever you are doing is important too.
I've heard some people find that taking small amounts of aspirin helps improve circulation in the cold, but I don't know if this is backed up by solid research.

And what exactly do you mean by cold? British hills cold (-1, damp, windy and hellish)? Or Lapland midwinter cold (-20, crisp, windless, powder snow and perfect)?

In reply to Pesda potato:
Thirded for you just get used to it, without trying to sound macho, after doing conservation work outside I found myself only really thinking to put my heating on when I could see my breath in the second home I moved into after leaving my parents, my sis in law was incredulous and told me to put my heating on more.

I seem to feel the cold more now though, & it possibly isn't healthy to only realise to put the heating on when you can start to see your breath, she seemed pretty definite that I should put my heating on.

It's weird actually, after the heating broke down at home (parents) while it was minus ten after dark, I almost got 'traumatised' by being really cold, and for quite a while afterwards had a really strong aversion to being cold or risking being cold, just the thought of being cold seemed to make me shiver, there might a psychological element to it too?

In reply to Pesda potato:

Eat more in cold weather too. Your appetite will naturally increase if you spend a lot of time in the cold. You'll burn extra calories keeping warm.

In reply to Timmd:


I'm certain there is. I "feel the cold" (by which people really mean "register cold as discomfort") when I'm tired or hungry or upset. The rest of the time I'm very resilient to it and I think this is partly down to acclimatising through swimming outdoors a lot and partly down to choosing consciously to register cold as pleasant. So I ditch the jacket, take a deep breath and enjoy the life-affirming tickle of the icy air on my skin. It's definitely about being positive psychologically, to me anyway.

In reply to mark_wellin:

Yeah I'd agree with that. There's biology to back it up as well. In brief, when your exposed to the cold a lot over a few months your body 'turns it's thermostat up'. It tells all the cells to produce more heat, which keeps you much warmer. That's also why hot temperatures become difficult and office people can't hack the cold as well as a builder.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Acclimatisation happens very quickly; when I go on trips to Africa I get used to the heat in less than 24 hours and I'm turning up the AC 'stat in my hotel room because it feels too cold. On returning home I feel cold but it only takes one brisk walk or a bike ride to somehow re-adjust my internal thermostat so that I feel comfortable again.

In reply to Pesda potato:

I seem to remember that some organisation (BAS?) did experiments about acclimatising people to cold using sleeping in freezers, ice baths, etc and the study results were non-conclusive

One effect they discovered that they hadn't thought of was that after the acclimatisation treatments the body actually became more efficient at protecting the core quicker therefore sacrificed the extremities faster...

In reply to Pesda potato:


Didn't Boardman and Tasker sit in an industrial freezer for hours wearing their gear? (Could be wrong)

DISCLAIMER, I'm not recommending it.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Also... If you do want to stay warm, focus on your groin! People always wear loads of layers on top but only two on the bottom. I found that overdoing the legs meant I had to wear less on top. Somethings to do with your testicles liking cool temps to make sperm better. So if they are kept warm your whole body will over react to make you feel hot. If you're a lady it probably works also, just without the sperm.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Cool, I had read some shtuff on google just wanted some ukcers insight.
It doesn't help its always warm where I work, then wife has heating on at home. Makes us too soft, come the apocalypse well be screwed.