Autumn signals change. With winter looming, attention turns to how to stay warm in cold weather. It doesn’t really matter whether you prefer the warmer months or the crisp feel of winter, no one wants to freeze their limbs off when really cold weather hits.
Unfortunately, sometimes that’s easier said than done. Depending on your location, you may have to deal with a few cold days or endure a few freezing months. But you don’t have to suffer through it anymore. When the time comes, here are six tips to stay warm and happy through the winter.
Photo, Kelly Sikkema.
Dress for Warmth
The first golden rule of surviving in cold weather is to dress for warmth. Unfortunately, for some people dressing for warmth often gets in the way of dressing for style. Although it makes more sense to prioritise survival over fashion, and you can always try reaching a middle ground if you follow some basic rules.
For starters, make sure to wear thermal clothes, especially wool, as your innermost layer. This layer will help your body conserve its heat, thus keeping you warmer. Next, layer up as much as you need to stay warm.
When choosing accessories, consider picking a wool hat and scarf to cover your head and neck. Needless to mention, make sure your feet stay warm by wearing heavy socks and, in the case of snow, waterproof boots.
Photo, Matt Seymour.
Heat Up Your Living Area
At the end of a long workday, the last thing you’d want is to come back to a freezing living room. If you can, remember to remotely set up your thermostat to heat your apartment on your way back home. However, that’s not always applicable for many people.
In moderately warm countries like Australia, where the cold wave hits for a relatively short while, people often prefer to get a heater instead of installing a full HVAC system. In that case, it’s a wise decision to explore the different options to find the best portable heater Australia-based locals rely on to efficiently warm up your home. There’s a wide variety of portable heaters, and it all comes down to what suits your needs.
Photo, Erik Mclean.
Double-Check Your Insulation and Cracks
There are times when your house will always feel cold, no matter how long you turn on the heater. Correcting this is one of the most important ways to stay warm in cold weather. If you find yourself constantly turning up the heat to stay warm, you may want to check your walls and windows for cracks that may be leaking the warmth outside and letting the cold inside.
The attic is one of the most common culprits for leaking heat, you may want to insulate it, even if you have to use DIY foam to keep your home temperature constant and avoid any leaking.
Photo, Rob Wingate.
Take Advantage of Natural Heat
Keeping your house warm doesn’t always have to spike up your electricity bills, you can just go about it more smartly. As it happens, there’s an infinite source of natural heat that you can exploit every day: the sun’s energy.
During the day, you can heat your living space and bedrooms by opening the curtains and blinds and letting in the natural sunlight. Thanks to the effect of your closed windows, the heat will get accumulated indoors.
When night falls, don’t forget to shut down your blinds and curtains to prevent the loss of heat.
Photo, Nathan Oakley.
Keep Your Bed Warm
You don’t want to lose all the heat your body has been accumulating when you jump in bed. If anything, your bed should always be warmer than your living area. Again, you can heat up your bed without turning on the heater; simply install an electric blanket that can turn itself on right before it’s time to sleep.
Alternatively, you can just opt for placing hot water bottles wrapped in a fleece or wool cover.
Photo, Brigitte Tohm.
Keep Your Metabolism Running
We’re often the laziest during cold days; ironically, those are the days when we need to be the most active. Your body will naturally heat itself up if you keep it moving, it’s such a waste to miss out on its innate heating mechanism. However, keep in mind that your body burns more calories during cold weather to stay warm.
Whether you want to know how to survive in cold weather in the wilderness or simply at home, you’ll need to follow some essential tips. First and foremost, increase your daily calories to keep yourself warm and healthy; don’t worry, that won’t jeopardise your figure. While you’re at it, be sure to frequently binge on hot drinks and soups. You can also go Russian and take a vodka shot, it works.
When the cold weather hits, we want nothing more than to stay undercover and laze our days away. Sometimes, not even food is enough to tempt us to face the cold. However, there’s no reason to keep suffering from the cold every winter. Now you have a few effective measures at your disposal to enjoy the next winter to your heart’s content.
