Whatever hair I have remaining, which is a fairly sizeable amount for a man who’s reached my age in the business of journalism, is now subject to being mussed up thanks to a necessary knit cap I’ll wear through the end of March.
Hands that haven’t felt the ache of cold in the morning, now must be protected by gloves to prevent painful, cold-induced redness.
As the snow fell on Sunday, I was visiting relatives on a day trip to Ellsworth, Iowa. It was wonderful to make the journey with my wife and in-laws. We got to see my wife’s sister, her family and especially her grandchildren. I’m a grand-uncle to two nieces and four nephews.
On my wife’s side of the family there are four of these tots from 4 years old to 2 months old.
My wife and I are likely a ways off from being grandparents, as our children are 19 and 18, respectively. So, we get our fix of seeing little ones in the family by visiting where we’re welcome. It’s a blessing.
When the snow began to fall in big, white, heavy flakes on Sunday afternoon, little Thea and Nathaniel cheered and had to go outside. While I admit their enthusiasm was fun, the coming of snow stopped bringing me joy about 10 years ago.
I used to be much larger and better insulated than I am now. While that helped keep me warm, it wasn’t healthy. So, I took steps to lose weight — a lot of it. This took place in 2009-10.
I shed about half my body weight, and one side effect was I became quite uncomfortable in cold temperatures. A cool breeze against my bare skin starts the process of frostbite immediately if the wind chill is under 32 degrees.
I still enjoy shoveling, clearing snow and hunting, but I have to bundle up. My toes and fingers, once cold, take a long time to warm up.
Back in those initial years after my weight loss, I was coaching football in grades five-through-nine. I can remember traveling with the team on the bus to Black River Falls late one season with the seventh graders and playing a game during which the temperature was in the 40s.
When the game was over and we got back on the bus to go home, I had a bottle of water that was ice cold that I started drinking. It didn’t take but a few swallows and I was shaking so much I felt like a jumping bean. I had a case of the extreme shivers.
After about 20 minutes of this we stopped at a fast-food restaurant so the players could get something to eat, as was our practice. I went into the bathroom and ran warm water on the palms of both of my hands.
The warm water helped warm up the blood in circulation. Then I shivered my way to the counter and ordered two hot cups of coffee.
I held those two cups in my hands on the bus all the way home. It wasn’t until our hour-and-a-half bus trip concluded that my body temperature had risen to allow the shivers to stop.
Shivering is a natural reaction as a bodily function. When the core body temperature drops in any warm-blooded animal, shivering is a reflex to get the body moving to expend energy and create warmth. When my already-cold body’s core was hit by the ice-cold water, it triggered shivering unlike anything I had ever experienced. That was a lesson learned. Now, no matter how thirsty I am, if I’m already chilled, I drink warm water.
As I’ve aged, I’ve discovered there are all sorts of nuances that are different from when I was younger. I used to be able to have exposed skin in the winter ‑ whether I was sledding, cutting wood, hunting or whatever.
Now If I have any uncovered skin it starts to show signs of frostbite right away. I’ve had worse frostbite than some of the severe sunburns I’ve had in my life.
Both frostbite and sunburn damage a person’s skin, I find it odd that I never used to get cold, and now on what some people would consider a relatively warm day with strong winds, I’m a candidate for damaging my skin.
When I was in high school it was all the rage to walk around with your shoes untied and not wear socks. One night I recall doing homework at a friend’s house and walking a mile-plus home in leather sneakers that I kept untied and didn’t wear with socks. My feet never got cold. If I tried to pull the same stunt today, I’d likely come away with stumps.
There are many medical reasons we feel colder in the winter as we age. The fat layer that exists under our skin, which helps conserve body heat, becomes thinner. The walls of our blood vessels lose their elasticity and ability to circulate blood quickly to all areas of our body to warm it. As we get older, our metabolic rate decreases. This is one reason why people gain weight when they age and it’s a cause as to why people feel colder in winter when they age.
Science says you’re going to be cold, and there’s no use arguing with science.
As the cold part of fall sets in and turns into winter, I suggest you keep a tea kettle or coffee pot handy and a crock-pot meal planned. Ingesting warm liquids and foods naturally helps raise your body temperature.
Personally, I need all the help I can get in this department.
— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
