Nobody likes to be cold, but there are times when you have no other choice. Cold weather can cause physical discomfort, illness, and can make you feel lethargic if you're not prepared to deal with it. Whether you're moving to a colder climate or want to get comfortable in the winter, you can take steps to better adapt to the cold temperatures.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: acclimatize your body
Step 1. Get out when it's cold
If you want to be able to withstand cold temperatures, you will have to go outside when it is cold. If it's ending fall or winter, or if you live in an area that is cold year-round, spend a couple of hours outside every day. Only wear the amount of clothing necessary and wear less clothing as you feel more comfortable. As time goes by, you will be able to spend more time outside and the temperature will affect you less.
- When you spend a lot of time outside, wear gloves, boots, and a hat, but leave your jacket inside. Your extremities generally cool down the fastest, and numb fingers or ears can make you feel very cold before the rest of your body really gets cold.
- Drive with the heat off in your car when you have to get out. To face a greater challenge, roll down the windows.
Step 2. Take a cold shower
Turn the shower faucet in the opposite direction that you are used to when you shower every day. Showering in cold water can be very uncomfortable, but it is a good way to start developing your body tolerance to cold temperatures and is the way many people adjust to practices such as diving in the Arctic Sea, as they help the body to adapt physiologically to cold.
- Withstand cold water gradually decreasing the temperature to which you are used. If you try to shower in very cold water too quickly, you may not be able to handle the cold water.
- You can also alternate between hot and cold water when you shower to get used to the rapid temperature changes similar to when you go outside.
Step 3. Gain weight
The body's function of storing fat is to provide you with a constant supply of calories to give you energy and it works as a cushioning layer that protects and maintains the internal organs of the body at a constant temperature. Although not necessarily an attractive option, increasing your body fat will keep you much warmer when the conditions are freezing.
- You should only increase your body fat a little; you should still eat healthy and balanced, with a slight increase in the amount of calories you consume often.
- Eating foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats, such as lean meats, dairy products, whole foods, and vegetable oils is a proven way to gain weight without overly stressing your heart and digestive system.
Step 4. Exercise frequently
Start doing cardio and resistance exercises several times a week. Your body's metabolism, which is responsible for breaking down calories to release energy, helps regulate average body temperature, and becomes more efficient when it adapts to the effects of strenuous exercise. In other words, exercising will warm you up a bit more, as your metabolism will stay in a healthy and active state.
- Increasing your muscle mass will help keep you warm on its own, as your body will simply be filled with warm tissue.
- With cardiovascular exercises, your heart and lungs ability to circulate oxygen-rich blood will improve, making your whole body work better.
Method 2 of 3: Adjust Your Habits
Step 1. Turn off the thermostat
Just as you have been adjusting to the cold outside, you must also make an effort to acclimate to the cold inside. Often times, people keep the temperature in their home at around 20 ° C to 23 ° C (70 ° to 75 ° F), as it is more welcoming to the balance of the body. Lower yours a few degrees to the amount you can handle in a cooler space.
Enduring a cold house is also a great way to save on utility costs during the winter. If you don't live alone, check with your family or roommates
Step 2. Kick the habit of covering yourself
The next time you're feeling cold and tempted to cover yourself with a warm blanket or pair of shoes, don't do it. Instead, endure the cold and do something to get that cold out of your mind if necessary. The idea is to get away from the need to always cover yourself with something warm when it's cold and instead learn to deal with it on your own. If you have become used to living in colder temperatures and have been showering with cold water on a regular basis, it will not be very difficult to follow this step.
- If you find that you have a hard time supporting that quilt, fold it up and store it on the top shelf of the closet. You will be less likely to reach it if it is far away and you have a hard time getting it out again.
- Your body temperature naturally drops slightly when you sleep, so if you want to quickly build up your willpower, get ready to sleep without a duvet!
Step 3. Drink ice water
Carry ice water everywhere, even in winter. Drinking frozen beverages lowers your internal temperature slightly, which will force your body's adaptive responses to compensate for the change. Although most people turn to coffee or hot chocolate in the colder months to warm up, you should do the opposite. In the end, you won't even feel the need to warm up.
In addition to being a useful tool for developing your tolerance for cold, ice water is also free and can be found almost anywhere
Step 4. Enjoy winter activities
Becoming less sensitive to the cold doesn't have to be too harsh a discipline. Try some outdoor winter sports like sledding, skiing, snowboarding, and giving yourself a fun way to get out while everyone huddles inside. You'll warm up faster in the cold and also have a fun way to get through the cold months instead of staying indoors.
- Go camping in the late fall or winter weeks to deal with the cold for the first time. When you are there you will have no choice but to sleep on the cold floor and your body will thank you!
- You will most likely start to warm up after a few hours of intense skiing or snowboarding, demonstrating how much heat your body can generate on its own. This should boost your confidence to overcome the cold.
Method 3 of 3: Prepare Your Mind
Step 1. Feel the actual temperature
Instead of thinking about how cold you feel when you go outside, focus on the sensation of the actual temperature of the environment. Usually there is a devastating difference: you are not as cold as you think. Accurately calculate the cold around you so that you don't exaggerate your response in front of it.
Learning to feel how cold you really feel is part of controlling your unconscious responses to stress
Step 2. Imagine that it is colder
It may be a bit rough for your taste, but what if it got colder? This is a mental trick to keep things in perspective so cold conditions don't look too bad. If you remind yourself that there are people who live in much colder places like Antarctica or Siberia without complaining, a midwestern winter night will no longer look so harsh.
Step 3. Stop shaking
Whenever you see yourself shaking, force yourself to stop. Chills are a body mechanism for generating heat in cold weather, but conditions generally have to be very extreme for that physiological response to actually be necessary. If the temperature outside is just a little cold and you find yourself shivering non-stop, you may be exaggerating.
- Chills are an autonomic process in the body that produces heat by forcing muscles to contract rapidly, similar to the effects of exercise.
- Research has shown that shivering is not necessary in non-cold conditions and that it does not have much of an effect on fighting mild cold.
Step 4. You should know that the cold does not normally pose a threat
It is instinctive behavior to react uncomfortably to unusual conditions, but discomfort and danger are two different things. There is generally no danger in being in a cold environment, as long as the cold is not extreme enough to lower your core body temperature and if you do not expose yourself to the cold for too long.
Exposure to cold is not deadly until your core body temperature drops to about 95 ° F (35 ° C), and before then you'd better swallow your pride and find a warm place of refuge
Advice
- The first thing you should do is accept that it is cold. If you waste time wishing for warmer weather, you will never be able to withstand low temperatures.
- Every once in a while, you may need to pause and force yourself not to feel cold. After a while, you can automatically deal with the cold.
- Reduce the amount of clothing you wear when you go out for a short time.
- As an alternative to a cold shower, soak in a bathtub filled with water that is as cold as you can tolerate and for as long as you can stand.
Warnings
- There is cold and there is "real" cold. Don't be proud. If the outside temperature drops to dangerous levels or if you've already spent too much time outside in a cold environment, bundle up or go inside. You must know the factors that cause hypothermia and its symptoms. There is no point taking risks with your personal health and safety.
- Prolonged exposure to low temperatures can put too much strain on your body's resources, weakening your immune system and making you more susceptible to disease. Remember this when preparing your body to get used to the cold.
- Frostbite is a problem in which the extremities of the body undergo nerve and tissue damage as a result of prolonged exposure to cold. Always keep your hands, feet, and sensitive head organs covered when you have to be in extreme conditions for long periods of time.