The Curious Habit of Dressing to Be Cold

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One of the strangest things, in my observation of other people, is that they dress as if it was warm when it was cold. They dress in shorts and t-shirts to walk in the mountains in spring. That’s quite absurd, given how the mountains, in April tend to be cold.

Others dress in shorts and a t-shirt to go running when it is barely above freezing and I find this behaviour absurd too. In theory you don’t need to dress if your body is going to be hot and sweaty after a quick run.

Rationally though, if you get used to being cold in winter, and this feels normal, then your body is going to be badly prepared for the summer heat waves. The hikers, and runners, that were dressed as if it was warm, when it was still cold hit the summer heat waves and suddenly it is too warm for them. They acclimated to cool weather, to cold weather, forgetting that summers are easily 30°c and above at the moment.

And Finally

I prefer to adapt to the heat, than the cold. If you want to be warm, you wear more layers, but if you want to cool down you can’t unless you stand under a tap of cold running water, a fountain or other. In summer it’s better to be habituated to heat than the cold. If you get too hot during a hike, bike ride or other, it’s harder to cool down. That’s why it’s good not to get used to the cold.

Having written this, I was cycling and comfortable in 15°c in a t-shirt earlier today. I usually have extra layers in case I need to wear them when hiking, running and walking. The exception to this is when I cycle, especially with a group.