Winter is on the way, with its cold hands of death and its dreary demeanor. While staying warm on the couch all day with a blanket and a warm cup of coffee sounds amazing, it is, unfortunately, not always possible. And as much as I’d like to crank the heater up to 75, my husband would not like that much and neither would our bank account.
Even if it’s not winter, I’m always cold. My toes, hands, nose. It’s ridiculous. I remember playing soccer as a kid and not being able to zip up my coat because my hands were so cold they were numb. So I thought I’d look into it a bit and see what suggestions are out there. Here are the best ones.
- Layer. We Jewish women already have this down. But in the winter I often like to take it up a notch by wearing a shirt under a sweater. Instead of your normal cami, replace it with a long-sleeve white shirt. It will achieve the same look but keep you twice as warm.
- Purchase some comfy sweaters and cardigans. You really can’t go wrong with super cute and super comfy.
- Or wear a sweaterdress. Basically, a cute blanket that people will compliment you on while you enjoy being so stinkin’ warm.
- Invest in wool socks. These are a total game changer. They’re like mini blankets for your feet.
- See a doctor. Several conditions can lead to cold intolerance, such as low iron, fibromyalgia, low body fat, anorexia, hypothyroidism, and disorders of the blood vessels and hypothalamus.
- Make hot drinks. Obviously, there’s always tea and coffee. But you could also make the following:
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, throw in a full piece of diced ginger, and squeeze half a lemon into the pot. Let it stew for 10 minutes. It will warm your entire body while curing any cold you have.
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- Mulled Red Wine. Unfortunately, I don’t have a personal recipe for this to share but hopefully someday. In the meantime, Google it. You won’t be disappointed.
- Buy some hand warmers. It doesn’t matter if your version of skiing means going to the ski resort and hanging out at the bar. Or if you don’t even live somewhere that gets snow. These HotHands Hand Warmers and this rechargeable hand warmer are pretty cheap and easy to order on Amazon. The HotHands ones will easily fit in your shoes if you’re really desperate for warm feet. Make sure to keep a few in your purse.
- Cuddle. Because what could be better? Plus, it’s SCIENCE. Two bodies are warmer than one.
- At night when you are having trouble falling asleep because your feet and nose are numb from the cold, pull the covers over your head and burrow under the blanket until your body temperature rises. It’s a real warming technique that will keep the warmth in.
- If the above fails, or you’d much rather be able to breathe… purchase a heated mattress pad or a heated blanket. I’ve honestly had to have one of these pretty much my entire life.
- Or you can go all Dr. Strange and start meditating. When you meditate you focus on your breathing and become very aware of your senses. Once you can master this, you can train your body to become warmer, supposedly. This has got to be my favorite suggestion out there and also probably the least likely to be utilized by anyone, especially since it is safe to assume this would take years of training. But you can always try, and feel pretty awesome in the process.