Acclimating to colder weather?

[dogememe]

We've all seen people wearing shorts and t-shirt when it's snowing outside. We don't have snow in our area but I'm wondering if I can become one of those people in spirit. Ultimately the goal is to avoid running the heater all the time in my room because due to not wanting our cats in my room I always have my door closed so I can't enjoy the heat from the rest of the house.

I've tried turning off the heater and wearing shorts around the house and all I succeeded in doing so far was feeling cold which is extremely distracting and hard to work on projects on the computer or watch TV because all I can think about is that I'm kinda cold. It probably doesn't help I'm a pretty skinny dude.

According to Google one tactic is to take cold showers and/or turning the water to cold for progressively longer periods of time. I tried that once and it was awful haha.

Has anyone here successfully acclimated to colder weather? I'm not talking about like frostbite cold, to be clear... it's 40F outside right now, that's probably as cold as it's going to get for a while.

 

[Leo99]

I think that our bodies acclimate naturally. Some bodies more than others. Personally, 58°F in March feels warm while 58°F in October feels quite cold. This time of year, I see people in shorts and t-shirts and people in parkas.

 

[Rand]

clothing works.. instead just wear sweatpants and a warm shirt.

 

[Pew]

40F? That's shorts weather LOL! I would recommend wearing simple sweatpants and sweater to limit exposed skin and unnecessary loss of heat.

 

[dogememe]

clothing works.. instead just wear sweatpants and a warm shirt.

Perhaps I should elaborate. Maybe I’m weird but I hate wearing sweaters/jackets/other warm upper clothing. Yet wearing warm pants with just a t shirt feels weird and I end up feeling chilly anyway. That’s why I’m trying to get used to shorts and t shirt in the cold.

 

[Patman]

After 54 years in Ontario I am still not used to the cold weather every winter. It’s always a shock to my system. We have had milder winters here lately though, so that helps but ideally I would rather be in South Florida from December to April

 

[Snagglefoot]

I’ve seen the phenomenon of people breaking out the shorts really early in the spring and have seen others that will wear sandals early in the spring as well. They usually have a very muscular build and I’m going to guess they have a high metabolic rate and also might be in good shape and be athletic.

Perhaps someone who has undergone US Marine boot camp training can elaborate how the Marines conditioned soldiers to be able to handle cold conditions.

 

[wwillson]

Has anyone here successfully acclimated to colder weather?

I've lived in cold winter areas my whole life. There are two important things you need to get used to the cold. Appropriate clothing and the correct attitude. I have a bad attitude about cold weather, but if I need to be in it, I know how to stay warm.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I'm afraid that sitting around in just shorts and t-shirt when it's cold isn't going to do it. You would have to engage in some reasonable level of physical activity for your body to generate some heat. If not, you need to layer up. Right now it's around 50F outside, and 70F inside, and I'm wearing long underwear + long pants, long undershirt + thick sweatshirt, and socks and thick slippers. Once winter sets in, I often wear heated slippers and add another top layer or use a heated vest. I noticed that I'm less and less tolerant of temperature extremes (both cold and hot) as I get older, and I did grow up in cold climate.

 

[Patman]

I find it interesting how many people dress based on what month it is versus the actual outside temperature. Right now I’m at Niagara Falls and it’s 55 degrees. I’m in jeans and a T shirt and really could be comfortable in shorts. But most of the tourists here right now are wearing thick winter coats. I found the same thing last week when it was almost 80 degrees here!!

 

[Snagglefoot]

The Parka goes on at 40 F and the toque goes on at 20 F. See you next spring. By the way, the good folks in Fort St. John say hi.

 

[John105]

I would think mind over matter. I always see kids skating in shorts even if 40F outside. It’s cooler in the rink.

 

[Delta]

Some people can tolerate it naturally, some can't. There's always that one guy around here in the winter wearing gym shorts and a hoodie in a snow storm...

I'm quite the opposite. Anything below 60°-70° and I'm freezing. Even though I was originally from this area I moved down South for a while which really screwed me up.

 

[Danno]

I see shorts in my neck of the woods when it is well below freezing. I see it as a way to stand out from the crowd. I like the middle ground, dress as light as possible to stay warmish. Light gloves all winter, layered jackets.

 

[vavavroom]

Do you like it clammy? Depending on where you live, indoor humidity in a unheated dwelling may quickly reach levels that turn your place into a petri dish unless you dehumidify or turn on the heat. Or you could stop breathing and you won't exhale with every breath about half a liter of air that's almost 100% relative humidity.

 

[Hall]

I can wear shorts year-round and no, I'm not in FL. Southwest Ohio, actually. It was in the low-30s in the mornings last week or the week before and I was in shorts. I've shoveled snow in shorts and a hoodie. I have heavy winter coats but only wear them if we're somewhere outside with minimal activity, i.e. watching a Christmas parade. I don't like wearing them while driving either, so it will be in the back seat or something. Also, wind changes everything, in my experience/opinion too.

I think that our bodies acclimate naturally.

I agree. Everyone I know from growing up or school that moved to Florida quickly get spoiled by the warmer weather to the point that 60º F is literally freezing cold to them.

 

[SeaJay]

When I lived up north, the first blast of mid 20's temperatures was brutal on my system. By January, mid 20's felt like a reasonably comfortable day. Humans get used to their surroundings.

 

[AZjeff]

Put on 30 lbs.

 

[eljefino]

Activity, time of day, and BMI all help.

I'm pretty frigid when the alarm kicks me out of bed at 0415, it's not natural for the body and its circadian rhythms to be functioning then and the metabolism keeps a person cold for a bit.

But if I go outside, mad, and shovel I'll be in jeans and a t-shirt soon enough, shedding like a snake until I get there.

Same as if I'm doing mechanical work, I like it cold. Being mad/ determined about getting something done leads my body to ignore the cold as long as I'm slightly physical.

Sitting on the computer and watching TV are two of your problems. Go outside.

 

[Zaedock]

Barefoot in the snow for the win.