Cold Hands/Poor Circulation

No advise, just the same problem. For me its my hands, toes and face (nose and lips) Doesn't matter how warm my core gets, they never, ever warm up. Sometimes they will still feel numb/chilled for the entire day. And it doesn't even have to be that cold for me, I have issues if its in the 40's.  I also lost a lot of weight (75lbs 5 years ago) and lived in a VERY hot climate for 8 years before moving to someplace that gets colder, so I think the combination of the two makes it really tough on me. I haven't found any gloves or socks that really help at all.  Its actually really scary when it happens on the bike because often I can't feel them enough to brake well.

I also moved from a warmer climate (Florida) where we lived for 12 years back to the Midwest.  I lost the weight here, and whereas I used to take medicaton for high blood pressure, now I'm off the meds and have a pretty low resting heart rate.  I'm the same way on the bike, although this is the first Winter that I will really try to ride outdoors in the cold (used the trainer and spin bikes last year).  I guess I need to just suck it up and buy some warm gloves.

That's not poor circulation.  That's a normal response to cold weather.  Your body responds to cold by making sure that your vital organs get adequate blood flow at the expense of your extremities.

I've never lived anywhere really cold, so I couldn't tell you the answer other than wearing warmer clothes. 

I lived in Michigan my whole life before moving to NC this past year.   Last winter temps got down to -20 and I was still running.  I wore smart wool socks which kept me pretty nice, even when running in 6 inches of snow.  I have a serius brand balaclava which I love, and some pretty decent gloves.  My hands were still a bit chilly, but not to cold.  If you can't seem to get your hands warm enough, mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves.

Yeah, the "whole me" gets cold too - when exercising I can warm up my core, but just around the house or out and about I can't even get the core warmed up and I wear a ridiculous amount of layers after losing weight. And I don't even live anywhere truly "cold" (we only get down into the 20's at the very, very worst end of it) But I will often wear long under wear, two-three socks, jacket, hat, scarf, etc. INSIDE (especially at school, they seem to keep classrooms freezing, probably to save money on heating!)

I've also loss alot weight in the last year and that's the first thing I noticed was my hands are always cold as soon as the cooler weather arrives.  What I also noticed is when I bring my calories up (as I'm still losing some weight & therefore in calorie deficit), my hands warm up.

Edited by RVachon 2010-11-08 7:12 AM

Flap your arms every once in a while.  Seriously.

I have raynauds so I know what you mean. I can't buy gloves warm enough to keep fingers from turning white. Below 50 and I'm indoors on the trainer. Worked outside midnight shift in very cold climates for many years I think that may have played some roll. The chem packs help, but don't seem to radiate enough heat to the fingertips. Always looking for a better glove.

Yes it's normal but there are a lot of things you can do to help yourself.  My run store has some really cool gloves from Mizuno that heat up if they get moist (sweat).  There are also chemical warmer packets that are marketed toward skiers that would work well.  Make sure you aren't storing your gloves in your cold car so they're cold before you put them on.  Mittens may work better for you than gloves as well.  And, yes, swing your hands around a bit on a regular basis.  It forces the warm blood out to the fingers. 

I also had this proble after I lost over 100 pounds a few years ago. I solved it with wool mittens that can be used by themselves or with an over mitten made with Tech Material that is wind and water proof.

Also found that if I keep my head and neck warm, my hands do not get as cold. I also use smartwool socks.

I have run in temperatures in the low teens with no issues.

Same issue - but nothing to do with weight loss.  I just have long arms and legs, and it seems circulation is a bit of an issue to the extremities.  I wear very little when riding or running in the Cdn winter, simply because my core gets so hot.  Baselayer + Jersey when it's below zero, and I still get too warm - but the fingers, even with good gloves, and extra wind gloves, don't keep the fingers warm.  Just something you may have to suffer with, but it sucks.

Ski mittens with thin silk liners underneath- throw in some of the chemical hand warmers when it get really down there. Just make sure you have the liners on - don't put the heat pack against bare skin. I find that really helps. Used to ride - horses - year round and my feet and hands would feel like blocks of ice after 30-45mins. Hard to put the heat packs in running shoes though. I need to see if my ski socks would work. Think warm thoughts and visualize the beach too!!  

I think it's a common problem. Not uncommon to see runners in short sleeve shirts with thin gloves. I have had this issue. One thing I discovered is that if I keep my head warm, it really helps my hands. I am follically challenged (thinning on top) and will use a cheap stocking cap.

Simple answer is, if what you had on wasn't warm enough, wear something warmer.

My long winded explanation of how I deal with this:

I do have poor circulation, in one hand anyway. I had a finger crushed in a car door and a wrist injury from skate boarding both on the same hand. I'm left with poor overall circulation in the hand, and one finger in particular that is susceptible to cold. In fact it's 66 in my house and that finger is cold as I type this.

So I can have one thin glove or mitten on my left hand and it will be warm, while on the right I have a windstopper fleece mitten, a chemical heater and a glove liner and it's still cold. It's not uncommon for me to have different hand wear on each hand until it's cold enough to wear the windstopper mitten alone on my left hand. Cycling is especially problematic.

What works for me:
- Mittens are a must to keep that hand warm. I need the heat from my other fingers to keep the crushed finger warm.
- Chemical heaters
- Glove liners. I have a thin fleece pair from The North Face, and a thin wool pair from Smartwool. I prefer the fleece pair. REI has something similar.
-Make sure your gloves/mittens aren't to tight. Especially as you start layering. If they get to tight they can restrict blood flow which will make the problem worse. That's also why I like the mittens for my outer layer. More room inside for a liner and a chemical heater.

Another reason for mittens, the heater pack can be situated right down by my finger tips.

I don't have the same issues running, but the chemical heating pads worked well for me when I used to ski.

An additional note about the chemical packs.  They are more effective if they are situated on the back side of your hand.  Your veins are closer to your skin in this location so the warmth will actually warm your blood reaching out to the finger tips.  The same goes if you try to put them in your shoes. Put them on top of your feet. 

Avoid caffeine! Easier said than done, I know, but it can really affect circulation to the hands and feet.
Also, mittens are much better than gloves at helping keep fingers warm.  

I went as caffeine free as possible for me (no drinks with caffeine) for two months in the winter and it made absolutely no difference in the way I felt on a run for my fingers, toes, or face.  Changing to double gloves and then to mittens helped, but only if it was a 4 mile run or less, because when the sweat hit the mittens they were too wet and it got cold anyway. 

If it gets below 40 degrees my hands and feet freeze and it takes forever for them to warm up. I have tried everything.