Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Cycling: Keep toes and fingers warm

Today's quick tip: If you have problems keeping your feet and hands warm while cycling in the cold, wear a hat!



When your core body temperature starts to drop, your body autonomically directs blood flow away from the extremities and into your core. Keep the core warm, and you retain blood flow to the extremities.

You lose most of your body heat through your head, and a hat is an easy way to regulate your comfort.

You should still wear protective gear appropriate for your weather conditions and riding distance, but putting a hat on goes a long ways to improving your comfort when cycling in the cold.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Instead of wearing a cap, i'll print a picture of that cutie there and tape it to my handlebars. That'll keep the blood flowing to my extremities.

Tony Bullard said...

But...you don't loose most of your body heat through your head:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/17/medicalresearch-humanbehaviour

Yokota Fritz said...

@TonyR - ahh, no comment.

@TonyB - I can't believe it; I'm usually up on debunked myths like this! I still stand by my advice to wear a hat to help keep hands and feet warm.

Tony Bullard said...

It'd tough these days with the internet making new myths each day.

I'm just doing my part to dispel them any time I can.

Jym said...

=v= Woo! Is it hot in here or is it all in my head?

MELI. said...

hello pretty girl! :)

Anonymous said...

I used to commute in Maine. In the winter time I exchanged my bike helmet for a ski helmet - kept my head and ears nice and toasty warm

Mark
San Jose