Friday, January 18, 2013

Beat the Freeze


We lose most heat through our extremities - head, hands and feet; remember people wore night caps before central heating.  Layers of clothes are a good idea - they should be loose and not constricting: circulation is all.  If after violent exercise (shovelling snow) you get hot, remove the odd layer rather than perspire and make it damp.  In the UK damp is our enemy and makes us really feel the cold so keeping dry is important.

Since MTL had chemo he is very prone to cold hands and feet so I was interestd to learn that stamping one's feet - as you see people doing at bus stops - and clapping ones hands, is a no no; one should shake hands and feet to get the blood flowing.  By the same token tight gloves and socks are bad and should be replaced by loose mitts and socks.
Your loose layers of clothes are more beneficial if they are natural fabrics and fleeeces.

Hot food and drink is vital- plenty of carbs - soup , stews and porrridge all help to warm the cockles.  Remember to stock up with essentials as soon as you hear the risk of a white- out.  With the help of tins and the freezer one can sit out a snowy siege comfortably..

When relaxing after all the snow shovelling put your feet up (its warmer off the ground and remember the adage - never stand when you can sit- never sit when you can lie) and cover yourself with a rug.  You know those lovely crocheted throws many of you have ?  This is when they come into their own.

I expect many of you know all this but if you have any more tips to beat the freeze please share them.
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24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Drink strong beer.

AndrewM

Pat said...

AndrewM: rather hot toddy or mulled wine:)

OldLady Of The Hills said...

You covered just about everything, my dear. Living in L.A., where we are usually pretty warm...(Except all of last week....), I have nothing to add to your very very good advice!

lom said...

You can't beat a hot water bottle.

kenju said...

Very good advice. We got only about 1 inch of snow last night, and I will not be going out unless it is an emergency. I don't like snow and cold.

Kim Ayres said...

Spending winter with Guyana-Gyal would be another option... :)

mapstew said...

Hug a friend!

(Be sure they don't mind first, JB gets upset sometimes!) :¬)

xxx

savannah said...

sounds good to me! we're have a bit of a cold spell, but nothing close to what's going on in other parts of the states or overseas! xoxoxo

LL Cool Joe said...

Damn snow. I'm a little worried as our freezer isn't stocked up at all. But my Wrangler Jeep comes into it's own in the snow.

Stay warm Pat!

Unknown said...

How to keep warm? Simply pop over to Maps house and raid his whisky bottles while he is on stage earning a crust. I've been doing it for years!

Pat said...

Naomi:I never think of you being cold but I expect iti quite relative. It is the damp cold that is the killer.

Lom: excellent idea and I couldn't contemplate life without my electric blanket.

Judy: time to hunker down:)

Kim: wouldn't that be fun. I could sit in the sun and listen to her tales and swap homilies withher Mum.

Map: I'll have to make do with MTL - good idea.

Savannah: nothing worse than cold when you are feeling under par.

Joey: no way can we risk going out but fortunately I thought about stocking up earlier this week. I do feel chilled today - MTL is going to make me a hot toddy - its Friday . Yippee!

angryparsnip said...

Great advice today... I wear layers which seems to work for me living in Tucson. Even with the freezing weather Canada sent down a few days ago I can stay warm.

Keep safe and warm
cheers, parsnip

rashbre said...

Less ice in the G&T?

About Last Weekend said...

Interesting about the shaking vs stamping. I am off to ski in a really cold area next weekend in Utah and I'm told my gloves should be a tiny bit big with air at the end of the fingers.

Pat said...

Parsnip: thank you. You too.xox

Rashbre: brainwave!

ALW; y'see I do talk sense. Sometimes.
Another break? Not literally of course.

Pat said...

Chef: nearly missed you. MTL made me a whisky toddy tonight. Delicious.

The Unbearable Banishment said...

Best source of warmth: Airline tickets to romantic places. I've been reading about your snow. I'm guessing you guys don't have the infrastructure or heavy equipment to cope.

Granny Annie said...

I am extremely warm natured and rarely even wear a coat in the coldest temperatures. My spouse, however, is extremely cold natured. Our house is well divided and we manage to maintain our own thermostats until bedtime. Then he gets all the covers and I "bare" it with no covers.

Pat said...

UB: well sometimes - especially on the railways, it is 'the wrong kind of snow.'
You're right we are hopeless and usually caught with our pants down - so to speak.

Granny Annie: I had separate rooms with my first husband and that is not good. MTL is warm and toasty in bed but is unable to get out of bed without stripping the clothes off the bed:)

Marjolein said...

Good tips!

Anonymous said...

Talking of the "wrong type of snow" reminds me of the time I had a small fire in the kitchen and the Fire Service installed smoke alarms failed to go off.

I managed to put the fire out, then I phoned the Fire Station to complain about their duff alarms, to which the sweet thing on the switchboard said "It must have been the wrong type of smoke"

A bit like when a friend was ill and I asked her if I should phone for the doctor. The surgery receptionist asked me "When you spoke to the person concerned, was she conscious?"

Pat said...

Marjolein: thank you:)

Keith: there certainly are some dotty folk around -including me.

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Come to the Caribbean!

xxx

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Haha, I'm reading the comments and I see you and Kim agreeing with me.

It would be lovely to have you all. It can get lonely here after being around so much family in Florida.