How can you keep warm in winter?
I remember the movie The Day After Tomorrow. Where the people were facing an ice age ahead, with temperatures so cold it could freeze your blood instantly.
Everyone was working hard on keeping warm. They were hiding in a library which was really convenient. You wouldn't run out of things to burn in a library that is full of books. In their effort to stay warm, they kept their fireplace ablaze by burning library books, feeding the fire continually for that much needed warmth.
A homeless guy who had to survive winter in the streets crushed up paper and stuffed his clothes with them for insulation. Insulate your clothing to keep the warmth in and the cold out. Crushing the paper trapped air. Air is a great insulator of heat. So that made a lot of sense.
When it comes to staying warm in winter, remember 2 things.
1. Generate heat.
2. Insulate to keep the heat in and the cold out.
To generate heat, most modern homes have a proper heating system. Just make sure you pay your heating bills. If you can't pay the bills, get your bills paid on your behalf. For example, if you are a U.S. resident, you can get free heating at [http://www.cheapestsale.com/free-heating.html]
If you use an old fashion log fireplace, stock up on plenty of firewood in case you get snowed in.
As for insulation, wear layers of clothing to keep warm. Start off with a base layer. The thermal underwear. Ideally, your thermal underwear should fit like second skin. The goal is to keep your body heat in. Pure cotton thermal underwear would probably work if the temperature is above 5 degrees celsius. Colder than that and you need something much warmer. Like wool.
On top of the thermal underwear, you might want to wear a wool sweater and thick denim jeans or wool pants. You might want to add on a warm jacket or even a trenchcoat over the sweater. Depending on the severity of cold you might face, you might want to add more layers. Don't forget your gloves, scarf, woolen hat, ear muffs, and boots. If it is really very cold, you might even need a ski mask.
Another trick that works for me and my kids is to apply a aromatherapy massage oil right after towelling dry after a hot bath. On a winter vacation, at the end of a day out in the cold, we were only too happy to get back to the hotel room where we would take turns in a hot bath. I would dilute 3 drops of mandarin oil in 1 teaspoon of a carrier oil like grapeseed oil or sweet almond oil and put in into the bath water. My kids loved it. I brought along some mandarin essential oil. I also made a massage oil by diluting 1 drop of mandarin oil to every 1 teaspoon of olive oil or sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil. After bathing each child, I'd rub him all over with plenty of this massage oil. When I ran out of mandarin oil, I used tea tree oil. The massage oil helped seal some warmth and moisture as the air was very dry.
Drinking a cup of ginger tea helps you body fight the cold too. Drinking plenty of hot soup at meals warms up the body beautifully.
Carry along a cashmere shawl, or at least a wool wrap with you so you can wrap that around you when you need additional warmth.
Finally, huddle up close to a loved warm so you can keep each other warm. That's how our ancestors survived the cold winters when they lived in caves. They would huddle close together near the fire to keep warm.
Labels: Winter
