Being Cold

It rained last weekend here in Sacramento.  It was rather a pleasant change to wake up to dark clouds and rain beating against the windows.  We turned on the heater for the first time in over half a year, and it smelled like Christmas. 

If I talk about the weather a lot, it’s because weather effects my health in many ways, from mood to energy to exercise to appetite.  Dark clouds make me want to curl up with a book and light candles.  Rain makes me avoid leaving the house.  Sun makes me want to work in the garden. 

When I lived in a colder climate, I felt cold almost all the time.  October always seemed the worst because my body was adjusting to the cooler weather.  Those days were always damp and chilly.  No matter how I bundled up with thick socks and boots, my feet were always cold.  I just could not get warm.  Wait—there was a way.  Exercise.  Whenever I exercised, I burst through that constant chill and I was warm!  It was enough to provoke me to work out rather often.

Contradicting this notion, whenever I felt cold, I also didn’t feel like working out.  I wanted to bundle up with a blanket.  I remember turning my electric blanket to high, and waiting in agony as I slowly warmed up.  Even then, my feet stayed cold.  Miserable!

It’s definitely a good thing that yours truly is now living in a warmer climate.  Still, we have winters.  We are ranging from 50s to 60s this week, a bit cool for me.  While being cold doesn’t make me want to exercise, it still provides an incentive: getting warm.