The following Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson,

and is narrated by Tina Lehman.

Eight primal things to Appreciate about the Winter Season.

Winter has come. That means different things to people based on their climate, but I'm of the opinion that winter is relative. You'd be right that the cold I face isn't as objectively

dangerous or unpleasant as the cold people in New York, Ottawa, Chicago, Warsaw, or Stockholm face. What's cold to

me in Malibu is short-sleeve weather in my native Maine, but it's still cold to me today. Feeling cold is the defining characteristic.

Today I'm going to tell you why you should appreciate and enjoy the cold season.

Number one, feeling uncomfortable.

Discomfort is a good thing. Our ancestors were frequently uncomfortable. Discomfort weeded out the

unfit and made us who we are today. Those with a beneficial response to physical discomfort were

more likely to pass on their genes. We are the product of these people, and exposing ourselves to uncomfortable situations and

sensations will probably improve our health and overall resilience, too.

Cold weather provides an easy opportunity for feeling uncomfortable.

You just go outside and like clothing and wait for the chill.

The best part, besides making you tougher, feeling uncomfortable makes comfort feel even better.

Number two, having the wilderness all to yourself. People hate the cold. Use the fact that people

hate the cold to your advantage. Every time I go for a hike in sub-50-degree weather, I'm mostly alone. People are by and large wimps. It's great. If you're worried about being outside in the cold, and believe me, the wilderness takes away about 10 degrees. Don't be. Once you get moving, you quickly forget the temperature.

Your body ruffs up and you start sweating. You'll probably start peeling off articles of clothing.

Whatever you do, don't dress to the ambient temperature. That quickly becomes irrelevant.

Number three, the abundance of cold plunge opportunities. Everyone should cold plunge

on a regular basis. I've been doing it every night for several years now, and I don't think I could

manage without them. It'd be pretty hard to give up these things. The enhanced recovery. After a day of

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