Training for the cold?

[solostalker]

Couldn't find any threads on this. Has anyone "trained" and prepared for the cold. I do okay in colder weather but would really like to be more comfortable and spend less time and energy on just staying warm. I have good quality clothing and gear but have noticed I get much colder than others do in the same temps.

Any effective ways to train your body for the cold? What little I've found suggests cold showers and frequent cold exposure as well as some exercises to increase circulation. or should I just stop being a sissy and tough it out...

 

[mtbraun]

I'm not sure what specifically you're "cold training" for. Are we talking sitting or activity in the cold? I have a cold tub and can't say it helps me with cold tolerance, but it does make you more resilient to uncomfortable environments. I think the short answer is to be more resilient in the cold you have to spend time in it. Additionally, I've noticed that when I leave my comfort environment for a 10 day backpack hunt, the first couple days are pretty uncomfortable. Then my body and metabolism adjusts and I'm fine.

 

[Pilsner]

I think it is more "getting comfortable being uncomfortable" than it is being better adapted at being physically cold. At least after the first few days of a new environment either hot or cold as mentioned above. After the first, say 3 to 7 days, there isn't much in the way of physical adaption that the body can do. Or at least that is what they taught us military medics at various classes on the topic.
We have a sauna and a cold plunge tank here on the ranch and I can tell a definite difference when I use them both on the regular vs when I stop doing them for a while and the restart the habit. The difference, at least for me, is more noticeable for heat than cold.

 

[Poser]

I do absolutely find that training in the cold helps condition one to the cold. I've very intentionally shifted my training hikes to the very early, pre dawn timeframe because I get used to getting going in the cold and get regular check ins for layering correctly. Sucking in cold air and managing sweat and layers is normalized. I can't say its any easier to get out of a warm sleeping bag, but the hiking in the cold and dark is a regular activity that I am very used to.

In terms of just staying warm in general, as in you are noticing that you are more uncomfortable in the cold then other people, upping your fat intake when you are out in (and in anticipation of) cold conditions is the easiest solution. Add more butter, coconut oil, MCT oil etc to your diet. In the backcountry, ghee is pretty easy to carry and consume -add it to your dehydrated meals, coffee, even just eat it by the spoonful.

Ceylon cinnamon (and it has to be of the Ceylon variety to get these benefits) is known as being thermogenic as well as a vasodilator, relaxing the blood vessels allowing more expansion. You can add some to your coffee or your food or you can also just take it in capsule form. I have a finger that suffered from frost bite on a mountaineering trip about 25 years ago. It would prematurely straight turn into a painful piece of lead when exposed to cold for years following. I started consuming Ceylon Cinnamon daily at some point and that issue went away almost entirely. I consume it in one form or the other daily.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Once you have the right gear and the knowledge of how to care for your body, dealing with environmental conditions is all mental.

 

[P Carter]

Once you have the right gear and the knowledge of how to care for your body, dealing with environmental conditions is all mental.

I don’t think this statement is correct. At a minimum, it’s overbroad.

Acclimating to heat is an actual, observable, replicable, physiological process that has been extensively studied. This adaptation is not all mental, no matter what gear you have.

I haven’t seen studies on the cold, so I can’t be completely sure. I feel like it at least has some physiological component.

After a summer of running in serious heat, the first several cold/wet days really affect me: I feel cold, subjectively, and objectively my heart rate slows way down. A few weeks later, the subjective feeling of cold is gone and heart rate stabilizes, albeit at a lower overall rate than in the heat. Maybe there are studies out there, I just haven’t seen any, which makes sense because being cooler tends to enhance performance rather than impede it.