Ways to become more cold-resistant

[Echidna]

This is something I've thought on for a while.

Because of my speshul condition, I'm highly susceptible to cold.
I get really, really ill when the temperature drops significantly below, say, 15°C (60F).
The colder, the worse.

The same goes for water; even a short stay in water cooler than a cozy 90F, and I get inflammations.
Our local pool has 80F, and if I swim there, I'm ill with fever and all sorts of nasty stuff several days.
On the other hand, I'm ok during and after if I swim in the thermal section.

As you can imagine, this is quite the problem when mermaiding.
I'd like to swim in a nice lake or ocean again someday :(

So, I'll probably have to try and somehow get more cold-resistant!
Please share any tips, tricks, and measures you know that can help!

(I know it might all not work for me, since it's caused by an illness, but for every other mer in the colder regions out there, maybe it can be helpful!)

Here are the things I already do:

1) getting out in the cold nicely padded, and exercising.
you're bound to be warmer afterward!

2) frequent sauna visits.

3) warm meals and drinks.

4) swimming in (heated) outdoor pools, even when the air is far below 30F.
(underwater swimming ftw!)

5) brief stays outside in no warm clothes, just to feel it's not even THAT cold.
(they say it's psychological mostly :p)

Things that don't work for me, but might for others:

6) wearing a good wetsuit

7) putting on weight

Any more ideas?

[Gem Stone]

I've found that certain air temperatures mess with me more than others. if it's between 50 - 70 degrees F, I feel cold. anything higher or lower and I'm fine. where as water temperatures, as long as it's above forty I'm normally fine for a half an hour. I'm not saying it's safe, I'm just saying I've done it and lived.

As for becoming cold resistant, the best I can offer is acclimate slowly. I like to get wet and then stand in the air so my body 'feels' colder and then the water 'feels' warmer when I get back in it. Also, I've found that if I can get my heart beat to speed up for a while, I warm up a tad.

[SeaGlass Siren]

I drink alcohol. Not recommended if you're young*


Whoooooooo!!

[Seatan]

Wow, 90F is pretty hot for water... I HATE swimming in cold water, and will not dive in the winter even with a thick wetsuit. You might try putting cool water in the bathtub and seeing if sitting in this causes any problems? If you get physically sick (not just feel icky cause it's cold) then I'm not sure that pushing it is safe... But I don't really know. Heated pools outdoors might work, but can you really "get used" to cold water? I mean, you can just jump in and then you won't be as cold as if you'd inched it, but I'm not sure you can ever get used to it. Even the indoor pools around here seem to be about 75F or so in winter since they aren't heated--just indoors--and it makes me shiver at first, but I soon warm up from the movement.

[Echidna]

Well, I sure hope one can get used to cold more...I cannot move to a warm country yet :P
in the long term, I might have to.

And drinking alcohol, while being a short-time warmer indeed, is a no-no before swimming/diving.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Oh I thought it was just different ways to be warm. Depends how much alcohol tolerant you are. A friend of mine drinks all the time and she's never drunk, afterwards she can perform in her orchestra pit the same night. :|

Swimming in the cold well... I'd imagine it's a different story

[Mermaid Annariea]

in response to seaglass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7kJRGPgvRQ

[SeaGlass Siren]

LOL omg that is amazing

[AptaMer]

Hey Caltuna, as I recall from the picture you posted a while ago, you're tall, thin and have long, slender fingers. Do you think you might have Reynaud's syndrome? Many people with your body type do, and Reynaud's syndrome people do tend to get chilled very easily.

[Echidna]

No, I don't think so Aptamer.
I do have Lyme (which messes with your temperature tolerance), with frequent fevers/chills and stuff.

Having a body type suited for tropical climates doesn't help either, but it was a lot less bad when I was healthy (I recall swimming in autumn with a bunch of people hunched on the beach wearing winter garments).