WEARING CLOTHING DYNAMICALLY

Rather than ignore the cold, or the sweat, we can play a more active role in regulating body temperature. We adopt the layering approach, as described in other entry in this blog, donning a layer the moment we begin to feel a chill, and removing a layer (and possibly slowing the pace) at the first hint of sweat.

Better yet, we learn to anticipate the condition and make the appropiate adjustments ahead of time. For example, suppose we are facing a long, steep climb, one that is sure to get us sweating. We remove a layer of clothing before commencing the ascent. When approaching a long descent, we anticipate the inevitable cool-down by donning another layer of clothing, and posibly by picking up the pace jut a bit. (However, when not going downhill, a moderate pace in cold weather produces the best flow of long term energy).

In a way, anticipating the conditions is like balancing a yardstick on a finger. Until we learn to anticipate the stick's leaning, our corrections will alway come too late, so they will have to be more drastic. But when we learn to make the corrections in advance, they will need to be only subtle.

Our heads radiate away a fair portion of body heat. So if we begin to feel chilled we put on a warming hat. Feeling too warm, we want to increase heat radiation, so we remove the hat. This is a very effective way to make small, easy adjustments.

In cold weather the hands also act as radiators, due to the relatively large surface area of the fingers. If your hands feel hot, remove your mittens and your hands will cool quickly. But since the blood circulation in the finger and hands is not great, you must be careful not to let them become cold. Otherwise they will be very slow to warm on their own. This means that even on a moderately chilly day you may want to wear at least a thin pair of mittens.