While some people use winter as an excuse to bury their heads in blankets and do as little outdoor physical activity as possible, that’s a big mistake. Winter is a great time to get outside. Do not rush to switch from a warm interior to a warm interior, try to minimize exposure. Dally outdoors. Feeling chilled. Experience the elements. Embrace the cold.
How to feel the cold
To accept the cold, you must understand that cold is just a feeling. Out in the cold, the promise of heat and warmth and soft blankets in the house behind you — this is true luxury. The cold does not threaten your safety and security, but only provides a temporary sense of comfort. And so you must boldly come out of the cold. When cold air penetrates the skin, you are losing body heat in a permanent exchange between you and the environment, but this is okay. It’s uncomfortable, yes, but it won’t hurt you. You must understand this.
You must understand that exposure to cold temperatures increases the activation of brown fat, a metabolically active fatty tissue that burns energy to keep you warm, thereby improving metabolic health. Understand that in order to grow, to benefit from any form of training, you must first feel uncomfortable. This is an inevitable law of nature. You have to feel the discomfort first and then recover afterwards. When you are exposed to cold, your body is learning to adapt to it; Cold exposure is a workout like lifting weights or sprinting. Think of it as a beneficial part of the process, and it won’t be as bad.
Most of all, feeling cold makes you appreciate warmth more.
There’s nothing better than a hot shower after a two-hour hike through the snow.
There’s nothing better than a warm bed after a long day of work outside in the cold.
There’s nothing better than a hot meal after a workout in the cold garage.
You need to go through both extremes to appreciate them.
How to Embrace Cold
Okay, so how do you do it?
Go for a daily walk with as little clothes as possible.
It’s best if you don’t wear a shirt or wear a t-shirt and shorts. You can even go barefoot. After all, remember what I said before: you are not at risk of dying from exposure. You can always return to a warm place. You’ll be OK. Keep that in mind and start walking.
Plus, as long as you’re moving, you won’t really get that cold. That is the secret of cold exposure. Movement to prevent subjective coldness.
Exercise in the cold.
If not directly outside, you can do it in an unheated garage. Start with warm clothes because after all, you want to raise your body temperature before doing any vigorous movement.
Wear warm clothing as your workout continues, if you must, but it’s important to exercise outside in the cold. What this does is send a message to your nervous system that you can handle the stress of physical activity. and work hard when it’s cold. It can be a powerful stimulus to expend more energy, which is often one of our weak points during the colder months.
Wear snowshoes as much as possible.
For my money, it’s one of the best ways to get through the open snow. I haven’t done that much since I was a kid living in Maine. Back then, this was often the best way to get around and explore during the winter. We kids have a lot of freedom, rain or snow or shine. When the snow fell to our feet and we were not content to sit around and play video games and electronic devices that hadn’t been invented yet, we had to snowshoes if we want to exercise that freedom.
I can’t do that much these days. Miami doesn’t get much snow, andwearing shoes now doesn’t really work on sand. When I do hit the snow, I’m skiing. But man, snowshoeing is great fun. You can climb up and downhill. You actually have better traction on normal ground. You can go out among the trees, go where normal people wouldn’t dare go, and actually go around.
I wish I had the chance to snowshoe in the winter whenever I wanted. If you do, take advantage. Go to a quiet and deserted place, the only sound you hear the satisfying crackle of snowshoes touch down and dig in. There’s nothing like going to a half-frozen babbling brook, walking to the edge, confident that you’ll be fine because you’re in the snow.
It forces you into another movement pattern. You’re not quite as agile as you would be in normal shoes. You have to think about what you are doing and where you are going. You must consider.
Get plenty of sunlight.
Sunlight is still important. You may not make a lot of vitamin D from tiny UVB rays, but you’ll get bright natural sunlight into your eyes and on to your skin. This has a dramatic effect on your circadian rhythm, improving your sleep and resistance to the harmful effects of blue light after dark. The sun is still important despite the cold. It is said to be the problem even than because it is scarcer in spring and summer.
Take all you can.
Into the cold ocean.
I used to hate swimming in cold water, but now I love it. Honestly, I find it stressful. It’s far from comfortable, mind you.
The best way to do it, I have found, is the following:
Run some sprints on the beach. Not much has changed since 2007. You sprint on the beach at low tide, when the sand is nice, flat and slightly damp. This is not just your exercise for the day. It makes you hot and sweaty, and it makes your body temperature rise, so you can not only handle coldFriend desire the cold. Note: if you’ve worked out that day, don’t push yourself too hard. Run a few sprints instead of a full workout or even just a brisk walk, throw saucer around, wrestle the kids, run the dog. You get the picture. Just move and pump blood.
Go right into the water. Don’t think about it. Do not slowly introduce body parts. Just go for it. Get your head underwater as soon as possible. The truth cold shock when your head is submerged under water. That’s when a mild panic attack can begin. That’s when your nervous system really wakes up. It is also the factor that forces the rest of your body to adapt the fastest to the temperature. If your head and its precious goods can bear it coldThe rest of your body will be fine.
Rub yourself down with cold country. Rub it into your hair. Take some sand in your hand and rub your body down. Scrub it. For my money, there is no better hair than the one after a swim at the beach. There’s something magical about your hair and skin.
Stay out there as long as you can. Obviously it’s safe, but try to go longer than rush and rush. An unheated pool or a cold dip would also be helpful, but nothing like the icy ocean.
Hot tub in cold.
One of my favorite activities during snow is soaking in a hot tub. You get the hot and cold contrasts that make life worth living. You can even plunge into the snow and then back in the warm water.
Obviously, you need a hot tub for this to work, but if you can swing it, that’s awesome.
Participate in snow sports.
Personally, I’m a big skier — I just feel better on my knees — but any of the classic snow sports are admirable and effective ways to take in the cold: skiing. , cross-country skiing, ice biking, mountain climbing, ice skating. The point is to get out in the cold and engage in activities that you can only do in the snow.
When I’m skiing, I’m not completely out of hands. I keep my limbs exposed to the air as much as I can. I’ll probably just wear a waterproof top layer to keep from getting wet. I wanted to feel the cold wind as I plunged down the mountain, and I wanted the engine inside to be so hot that it extinguished the cold.
Those are my suggestions for embracing the cold. The most important thing is the first point I mentioned: understand that the cold will not kill you and will only make you stronger, healthier and more appreciative of warmth and life in general.
How do you like to receive the cold?
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