Does exercise make you feel colder?

[Offthegrid]

Just my about-to-leave-work pondering. I've been seriously committed to an exercise program this month for the first time in a year. Loving it. But I feel soooo cold all the time. Granted, other people at my office feel cold, and I'd guess the temp in here is about 67 degrees.

But I'm wondering if there's a connection between working out a lot and freezing your butt off. (I was actually wearing my heavy wool coat and gloves for a portion of today.)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have found the opposite to be true for me.

[colby]

I find sometimes that when I work out in the cold, I am more sensitive to the cold later in the day after my body cools off. When I go skiing, I sweat a lot and have a great time, but the next day I want nothing to do with being outdoors Then again, many days on my "off" days from running, I feel colder than I do on my regular running days. Hmm....

Maybe getting your body temperature up during workouts makes you more cognizant of your body's corresponding temperature drop later on? So technically you might have the same physical tolerance to temperature, but mentally you're more aware of it.

67 is pretty chilly. My office-mates would be bringing in their own space heaters if it was that chilly every day. They generally can't handle anything below 72 (and even then I see lots of people in sweaters). They are lightweight software engineers, though... they do exercise their fingers a lot typing and mousing, but that's about it

[Dianyla]

Have you had your iron checked lately? Heavy exercise can deplete iron stores which can definitely cause intolerance to cold. Since I've been taking iron regularly to deal with my anemia, I am no longer shivering all the damn time. Previously, it would take me a very long time under a very hot shower to recover from being chilled to the bone.

Just another angle to consider...

[Bluetree]

Perhaps you are converting your body fat to muscle... hence less insulation!

I find the older I get, the more suspectible to temperature extremes I get. In my twenties, I used to go to places like Winnipeg and Edmonton in January with no problem. Now in my late thirties, San Francisco seems too cold for me!

[KSH]

Just my about-to-leave-work pondering. I've been seriously committed to an exercise program this month for the first time in a year. Loving it. But I feel soooo cold all the time. Granted, other people at my office feel cold, and I'd guess the temp in here is about 67 degrees.

But I'm wondering if there's a connection between working out a lot and freezing your butt off. (I was actually wearing my heavy wool coat and gloves for a portion of today.)

Well... uuummm... less fat on your body = less natural padding from the cold.

[velogirl]

I find exercise makes me warm for hours afterward. There might be a few variables at play here:

• Others have mentioned a loss of body fat. Since you've just been training this month, that's probably not a realistic factor at this point, but it's true that adipose is insulation. If you were very thin to begin with this might be true.
  
• Yes, exercise can deplete many vital nutrients including iron. Low iron can cause you to feel cold.
  
• The fitter you become, the lower your resting heart rate will be. Those with a lower rhr will be colder than those whose heart ticks like a hummingbird.
  
• Non-exercise related, being hypo-thyroid will make you feel cold all the time. When I was super-hypo, I was cold even during exercise.
  
• Also non-exercise related, it's fall. That means shorter days, less sunshine (vit d) and colder temps.

[Geonz]

If I commute in, especially but not exclusively on a cold day, I can be warm and toasty when riding, but when I stop, the furnace shuts down and I'll feel chilly.

My new office in thecollege is one of htose "always warmer than the rest of the building" places, which makes me very happy.

[Offthegrid]

Maybe it's the swimming before work. We have to do a short walk outside (in a bathing suit) to get to the pool and then back to the locker room. Plus inevitably you're a little wet when you leave the gym.

I had bloodwork in June, and all normal and I take a multivitamin. I guess I just don't like the cold.

[EBD]

When I was training in earnest in late August and September, I found that after a long run or brick I would feel chilly for a while - even though it was often in the 70s or 80s outside. If I sat down to stretch indoors afterward I would have goosebumps, and after my shower I would have to put on warm sweats for a little while. Although the AC was probably on sometimes, my apartment is definitely not kept cold.

I have no idea what caused it - I just felt like perhaps my body was depleted somehow. So I can't really offer an explanation - all I can say is, it happened to me, too!