tips for keeping warm in winter | daily december

If you are currently in the Northen Hemisphere of the world then it's winter. (If not, this post probably won't be very useful but I did do a keeping cool in sunmer post here because I'm up for self promotions like that.) Anyhoo, Winter. Its the time of year for Christmas, decorations, joy, stress?, tinsel and all things sparkly, pine trees, hot chocolate, ice skating and many more festivities however  it also means the return of the icy, merciless chill which slaps you with uncomfort and shivers. Basically coldness, yep. As we all suffer from it , here are tips for keeping warm in Winter (or anytime it's cold. Well that wasn't totally obvious).

#1 Hand Warmers

adorable ones from paperchase!

If you don't know what these are, they are basically just tiny hot water bottles minus the hot water. They are super useful and are great for when you feel like your hands could fall off. If you just snap the metal disc inside, it will instantly turn solid and feel like a portable radiator. To use it again, you have to put it in boiling water I believe but it's not too much of a hassle seeing as they save lives. 

#2 UnderLayers

This could be counted as quite an obvious one because layers are key to surviving in the cold seasons. However, there are special underlayers which you can get. They are very thin and light meaning you just feel warm and nothing else. What I have in mind as I am writing this is Uniqlo's heattech brand. It is basically vests, t-shirts, tights with special technology to keep the heat in. What I found useful were these body warmers to put under t-shirts!


#3 Hot Beverages
Drinking something hot should warm you straight away! But instead of becoming a caffeine addict in the Winter season, try herbal teas or you could even try some sort of hot juice or squash. I tend to drink plain hot water as it's caffeine free, sugar free, well, you know, it's water! But a lot of my friends think it's weird? My Mum tells me it's a chinese thing, which it is. But, guess what? Some people actually say it's better than normal water as boiling water can kill bacteria, meaning less infections? The article is here if you find hot water interesting which you probably don't. I still don't know why I go off on such tangents about the most boring stuff! Plus, why not bust out a fancy flask to sip a cuppa? (or hot water hehe)

#4 Pre-Heat!
Nothing's better than getting into a nice warm bed at the end of the day or pulling over a toasty, cozy sweater, pre-heated. Becasue nobody likes having the chills or doing the warm bed dance. That's why you should pre-heat, for example:

• Putting a hot water bottle under the covers half an hour before you go to bed (or get an electric blanket!)
• Putting your clothes on the radiator.
• Putting handwarmers in your socks (or putting them in the microwave!)

#5 Eat Whole-Grains
According to my research, eating whole grains suchas oats and brown rice can give immediate warmth. And if you want to get technical over here, the grains are a good source of vitamin B and magnesium which help the body regulate temperature.

#6 Get Moving!
It may be pretty obvious that when you move, you get warm. You know, blood pumping around, your cardiovascular system, I don't even know what I'm saying but the chills disappear into thin air. So, whether this means running up and down the stairs or doing starjumps on the spot, try incorporating exercises into your daily routines. This video, "workout for lazy people", certainly should help you if it doesn't come naturally to you. It definitely helped me hehe.

So, here were a few tips which may or may not save your life. 

23 Days til christmas!