Living Car Free - Thermo Regulation

Today the hvac system at work went haywire, not working in the morning, then working then not working. I noticed that the car dependent people complained about the temperature, in the morning it was too cold, in the afternoon when the heater worked it was too hot then later when the heater went out again, it was too cold. Since I felt the changing temperature but felt comfortable all day, I was wondering if my body had become a better thermo regulator from being outside in all weather. Do other car free people seem to have a wider comfortable temperature range than your car dependent neighbors? Maybe its just me and has nothing to do with lifestyle. I always hear that fat is a good insulator but the fatter people are the ones who complained loudest when the heater broke.

...I was wondering if my body had become a better thermo regulator from being outside in all weather...
My experience is the same as yours.

I think in general people you commute by bike have a tolerance for slight disomfort and an ability to adapt to extrodinary circumstances. A slight change in temperature is the least of our concerns =)

It's because they're all whining, complaining *****s.

It's interesting to consider that humans have a handful of biological capabilities that are in the range of excellent to superior in the animal kingdom. We have full range color vision, probably the best tone discrimination, a bear-like upright posture giving us a height that intimidates all but the largest other animals, internal heat generation as good as any other mammal, the rare capability of sweating that lets us remain active in hot weather, and metabolism/muscle structure optimized for travelling efficiently over very long distances. With a little brain-based technology like adaptive clothing and the bicycle, we are formidable and powerful creatures indeed.

One thing I don't like about civilized life is that it encourages us to behave in ways that don't exercise all those remarkable physical capabilities. It's a case of use it or lose it. I hope we aren't on the way to evolving into legless creatures with giant computer-adapted eyes, chair-adapted butts, and the inability to go outside onto the surface of our own home planet.

This is the case where I work also. I think a large part is a mental block people have. I would rather wear layers and adjust accordingly. I can't understand people that wear lightweight clothes and complain about being cold. I work in a place where the males are all moving and the females sitting so we have constant complaints about the temperature.

I think a large part of regulating body temps is age and physical condition. Since most folks on this board are young adult, in shape males, it's easier for us to adjust.

Fat cyclist here! :) I must say I don't quite like the heat. One thing I hate about winter is that everyone tends to overheat, so everywhere I go is uncomfortable.

It's become more so in the latest years since I started to cycle in the winter, and keeping our heating low at home.

I can withstand it though, I got used to sweating by now, and I usually just accept it as a fact of life.

I have noticed this so many times at work. It's not so much that we are tough; rather, they are a bunch of weak-willed candyasses.

They whine about the weather 355 days a year, only 10 days are acceptable for the arduous trek from the closest parking spot to the door. We are the total opposite--we whine on the 10 nastiest days of the year, the other 355 are glorious.