Originally Posted by
canklecat
Personally I'm not comfortable with the "start cool, let exercise warm you up" method, although it works for some folks. I experience an odd quirky circulatory problem in winter that's similar to a mild case of Raynaud's Phenomenon. Even if the inside temperature is 70F, my body seems to know the outside temp is cold and my fingers and toes tend to lose circulation and feel numb. If I go outside without being warmed up it gets worse, and I've experienced numb or painful tingling in my hands and feet even when the outside temp is between 30-40F. So when I head out I prefer to start warm, then unzip, unbutton, etc., to cool down as my circulation improves. If I start out warm, I stay warm and feel comfortable down into the 20s.
But there's no single method that's right for everyone, so the trick is to find what works for you and do that. Same with controlling perspiration.
I have
Reynaud's (primary type).
I was diagnosed back in the 80s, before anecdotal evidence was an accepted method of diagnosis. In order to confirm diagnosis by anecdote, I had to have the formal testing. This involves ten tiny finger-sized blood-pressure cuffs and immersion of the hands in a bath of ice and alcohol. It remains the single most unpleasant experience of my life.
I was prescribed
nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia) and was on it for decades. I had to quit caffeine, and had a very hard time quitting nicotine. Both are vasoconstrictors. I still keep gloves on top of the fridge for when I have to get things out of the freezer.
I know exactly what you mean about the body seeming to react to outdoor conditions even when indoors. Right now it's 15 outside, the thermometer on my desk reads 76, I can touch the radiator (which runs under old-school steam—none of that hot water nonsense) without leaving my chair. And I'm cold while wearing a sweatsuit and two pairs of socks. (Many days I wear less on the bike than I do indoors.)
I don't offer my experience with dressing for cycling in the cold (
above) as universal. But now that you know I also have Reynaud's you'll understand why that five-minute barrier is so hard for me to get past. My hands aren't just cold at that point, but blue and painful.
And yet, by the ten-minute mark, blood is flowing through them again, they've become warm and pink.
I agree that there's no single method that works for everyone. If haven't at least tried the start-cold-and-let-the-exercise-warm-you method because of the fear of cold that Reynaud's induces, see if you can get by it and try anyway. You may be as completely amazed as I was.
The snow stopped overnight although it remains cold. It's supposed to drop to single-digits and below for the weekend. Time now for weekly errands—banking and grocery shopping. By bike.
