Thought for the day:
One of the aspects of this thread is to always think ahead, whether a lethal force situation or how to prepare for a tornado. To steal a line from GOT, winter is coming for most of you. Vehicle go bags are top priority now in case you are facing a night on an interstate high way closed to traffic. Pack some extra warm clothes, space blankets, water and a portable charger for your communication device.
Some more information:
The first step to preparing yourself for the cold is knowing how the body responds to it. It’s important to point out that the human body gains heat through radiation (from the sun), metabolism, and muscle action, with muscle being the most substantial source. Therefore, the amount and intensity of movement can be crucial to staying warm in a cold environment. Without much movement occurring, you’re not going to get a substantial amount of heat either through muscle contractions or metabolism because the increase in movement also causes increases in metabolism.
You lose heat via four different mechanisms: evaporation, conduction, convection, and radiation. Both conduction or convection occurs when a more cooling gas (convection), liquid (convection), or solid (conduction) comes in contact with the body. What you wear and whether you’re in the water or not can undoubtedly affect your temperature regulation. In cold water, you’ll lose heat three to five times faster compared to cold air. Factored into heat loss is your body surface area to mass ratio. So, if you happen to be someone who’s shorter, more muscular, and you have a little bit of extra fat, you’ll handle the cold better than someone who is tall and skinny. That additional muscle and fat will also help as muscle will help generate more heat and fat will have an insulation quality.
When you lose a significant amount of body heat, a few things will occur. As you’ve undoubtedly experienced, shivering will start, which increases heat production due to involuntary muscle contractions and an increased metabolic rate. Over time, shivering leads to higher utilization of carbohydrates as a fuel source — up to 588-percent greater! This makes nutrition, (carbohydrates in particular) vital in cold environments. Additionally, the constriction of blood vessels in your limbs will help keep blood in your torso to maintain the crucial functions of your body and minimize heat loss.
Preparation: To prepare, your primary focus should be keeping your core (torso) warm at all costs. It’s essential to have an outer layer that is both wind and waterproof, which is probably common sense. Underneath that should be a thicker garment that will do well to insulate and keep you warm. The layer of clothing directly on the skin is ideally going to be one that wicks moisture away from the skin so cotton would be a poor choice as it holds on to moisture and will draw heat away from the body. Of course, you’ll also want to keep your hands and head covered, too.
Next, drink plenty of water, even when you’re not thirsty. Cold exposure seems to have some thirst-blunting effect, making it easy to become dehydrated. As previously stated, carbohydrates are used at a greater rate while shivering, so ensure you’re adequately fueled with an emphasis on complex carbohydrates. Good sources include oatmeal, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and quinoa.
Training:
heavy bag, speed bag, Thai kicks, tennis ball throws and punishment push ups.
Question of the day:
If you live in one of the cold states, is your vehicle ready and packed for winter?
