How your body does (and doesn't) adapt to cold.

[ski diva]

There's an interesting article about this in Outside Online. Does repeated exposure to cold help your body handle cold better? The answer may surprise you.

Do you run hot or cold? For me, it's cold, especially my hands and feet. Which is why I use boot heaters and heated mittens.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

Interesting read, though the study seemed limited by the small sample size.

I run mostly hot, and hate overheating when skiing. I do use boot warmers, and super thick mittens until spring skiing starts up. I almost never put my helmet on while waiting for my students to show up.

When I get home I do get chilled while warming back up and often lay on a heat pad for twenty minutes.

 

[TNtoTaos]

Interesting article, but I'm surprised they didn't mention the influence of neurotransmitters/recptors on blood vessels; e.g., those who have an excess of alpha-adrenergic receptors will tend to have cold fingers and ties because it causes the capillaries to constrict. These are people who always have cold fingers, even in a warm room. They may also have hypertension, for the same reason. No amount of exposure to cold is going to resolve that problem, and there's no "getting used to it."