We live in a southern state that has four seasons, but doesn't usually have too much frigid weather. Due to the polar vortex (or whatever the weather people call it), it's been downright unbearable at times this winter. Yes, we know it's winter and it's supposed to be cold. It's just not something our bodies are accustom to.
I'm more sensitive to cold than some people, so here's what I do to stay warm:
- Use supplemental heating sources--We are blessed to have a wood stove in our downstairs living room. It does not heat our entire house, but does offset using our heat pump. It allows us to keep our upstairs temperature on a lower heat. Space heaters are great! Instead of heating up the entire house, we use smaller heaters to heat up the bathroom during shower time. My electric blanket allows us to turn the heat down lower at night and my freezing feet don't keep me awake.
- Layers! Put on more clothes. I have yet to wear my coat in the house, but you can find me wearing three shirts some days. Thermals under a long sleeve shirt topped with a sweatshirt or fleece jacket fits the bill when it's really cold. Pull out the extra blankets at night or even while watching television. Invest in a snuggie. (I haven't went this far...yet!) That reminds me.... I need to find my battery powered socks I got for Christmas last year. Wear a cute hat and /or scarf inside!
- Get moving. Anytime I start to feel the cold too much, I get up and start exercising. I even went outside to exercise a couple of times, because the inside feels quite toasty after being outside for a few minutes.
- Raise the humidity--When the humidity levels are higher, it feels warmer. So, you can keep your thermostat on a lower temperature and still feel comfortable. We have a humidifier we run downstairs. I recently read an article that gave this tip: fill coffee cans with water and place them around heating vents. This one will have to wait until we have no children to knock them over.
- Let the sun shine in--I chase the sun some days, opening and closing curtains in different parts of the house. In the afternoon the sun shines right in the living room windows perfectly. Snuggled under a blanket or exercising in the sunshine is just what the warmth doctor prescribes.
Now, I will say that sometimes I'm still cold, but it's not as unbearable as it could be!
How are you staying warm in this freezing weather?
