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Dealing with the cold

Lark

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Any ideas for dealing with the cold weather?

I got some thermal socks this week and I'd always have thought the idea was a gimic and its turned out they are amazing and worth the extra cost.
 

FDG

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Eat more
Exercise more (anaerobic - raises body temperature for 24h)
Turn on the heater
Spend more time in bed
 

Eckhart

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It certainly pays off to have a decent winter coat/jacket which should be also a bit longer than normal jackets. Those standard winter jackets that most people here wear help far less imho. And also not being hesitant to take some gloves (usually it is my hands which are frozen first) and maybe a winter cap.

I have no secret tips however :D It is just a matter of not being hesitant to take some proper winter clothes. Some people somehow still manage to walk around in winter like I sometimes walk around in summer.
 

nanook

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i read somewhere yesterday: "you don't catch a flu, you eat it."

throwing in vitamin C might help (it gives me sleepleness, should not be mixed with fat or empty stomach) but it's not as powerfull as eating a nutrient dense (fatty) diet with huge portions of vegetables. how about 2 herrings, 125 g of macademia nuts, coconut fat & 750g asian wok mix vegs. coconut fat is said to kill bugs, btw. that's what i had today for breakfast (i just eat once a day right now, testing how that works for my metabolism, right now my metabolism is cooking!). thats 1700 kcal, 40 g carbs, 70g protein, 140 g fat. nothing evil can survive in this bomb of goodness. but eating too little carbs or too much protein can make vulnerable, in case it makes you acidic (dry mouth). body needs to be adapted.

edit: i just noticed this thread isnt about the flu, but about cold weather.
okay, but metabolism is still food related. as i said, i am cooking.
 

INTP

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Try to stay in as much as possible because its colder outside. When you do go outside, put more clothing on than when you go outside in warm weather. Try to keep the room temperature cold as possible and keep yoir bedroom temperature cold as possible, but have a warm blanket, so that you get used to cold and it doesent feel like a big deal anymore.
 

jixmixfix

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Any ideas for dealing with the cold weather?

I got some thermal socks this week and I'd always have thought the idea was a gimic and its turned out they are amazing and worth the extra cost.

Socks are good! keeping your feet warm is a good way to keep your body warm. I usually wear hood sweaters so I can hood myself when I feel it. Scarfs are a pain in the butt but hats are good. Also shoes that don't allow water to leak through because of all that slush. I have heater right next to me in my basement since I'm always in there, oh yeah and adding an extra sheet to your bed. :)
 

nanook

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it's the first year since my childhood that i am wearing a cap (chullo earflap beanie) and i love it. i wasn't aware of how much you freeze around the head, because it doesn't make you jitter, but it still makes you want to go home, while your body is warm. with my cap i feel like i would be comfortable to do intellectual work in the outdoors, which allways seemed unconceivable to me.

as for socks and shoes. they must not be tight because that reduces blood flow. i would rather not wear thick socks, if my shoes didn't have enough space. shoes must never be too tight/narrow anyway, cause alongside cramped feet are a huge subtle stress on the whole body.

i love cheap acryllic pullovers, next to fleece. they are so much more insulating than cotton pullovers, and not so heavy.
 

ceecee

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Head and hands covered
Layers of clothes
Good slippers/house shoes. I have UGG Dakota's.
And these things. You can pick them up at any sporting good store or places like that. I've never tried the insoles but I'm sure they work well too.

images
 

JAVO

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1. Use clothing which blocks the wind if there is any wind. Regular fleece is a terrible wind blocker.

2. Stay dry. Use a waterproof breathable shell if it's raining or wet snow is falling (generally, anytime the temp is above 15-20F). Keep cool enough that you're not sweating.

3. Avoid cotton. It retains moisture, takes forever to dry, and makes you cold once it gets wet. You'll be warmer naked and dry than wearing wet cotton. The only exception is that in cold-dry conditions (temps less than 20F), cotton makes a great breathable shell layer to block the wind and dry snow.

4. Hands and feet sometimes get cold because the body's core temp is dropping. The body then reduces circulation to extremities in order to keep the more essential core warm.

5. Tight clothing or footwear restricts blood flow, which makes that part of the body cold.

6. Muscles are our internal heat source. If you're cold, get moving. When sleeping out in the winter, I do sit-ups in my sleeping bag to warm it up when I first get into it.

7. Try vapor barriers: a waterproof (non-breathable) layer next to the skin, sometimes worn over a thin layer of clothing for comfort. These prevent insulating layers of clothing from getting wet due to moisture given off by the skin, and they nearly eliminate heat lost through evaporation of the moisture. On winter backpacking trips, I use vapor barriers for my feet, and sometimes I sleep in one (up to my neck).
 

Red Herring

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As much as I might usually be a friend of cotton, plastic is definitely more comfortable with this weather. I am actually wrapped up in a polyester blanket right now.

- keep hand and feet warm, extra thick socks or even double layers should do the trick
- take lots of hot liquids, this might be coffee, tea, soup or cocoa and make sure you eat enough
- make sure your apartment is well insulated. It's incredible how much warmth can escape and you end up heating the entire neighborhood!
- keep your circulation up by moving around a lot, as you rest, your circulation goes down and you start freezing

Anway, this winter my solution will hopefully look something like this:

aero-caribbean-ticket-and-boarding-pass_photo.jpg


Man, I hate the cold!
 

giegs

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Proper layering.
A down jacket.
Good, dry socks.
Something over your face.
Stay hydrated.
Stay fed.

Pretty easy under most circumstances. But with that said, what means "cold"?

And as JAVO mentions, cotton kills.
 

Mole

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Winter and Summer

As we move into the height of Summer I remember the only thing necessary for Winter in Canberra is a down jacket.

Added extras are nice like thermal underwear, a woollen hat and gloves.

But Winter is so beautiful in Canberra. The air is so fresh and crisp and clear and you can see forever.

We could have built Canberra anywhere but we chose a cold climate 'cause a cold climate, it was thought, is character building.

Do you think it has built my character?

But Summer is upon us. A billion trees are in leaf. And Summer is warm with a low humidity. And I look forward to long, hot days wading the cool lazarette of Paddy's Creek.

Think of me as Jack Frost nips your ears, and you tuck your toes under the doona. Think of me sipping an ice-cold spitzer while you spoon your hot soup to keep the cold at bay.

And I have discovered what makes Canberra beautiful - it's the cold and the sunlight. The cold by itself is a bit grey and dull, but with the sunlight Canberra sparkles. And so do I.
 

FDG

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Cold climate in Canberra? C'mon now :D the extremes are like 0-10 °C, quite mild!
 

Mole

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The Meaning of Warmth

Cold climate in Canberra? C'mon now :D the extremes are like 0-10 °C, quite mild!

Oh no, in the depths of Winter, we get down to two degrees below freezing, -2 C. And on the odd day, we can even go as low as -5 C. However this is compensated by sunny, windless days.

And indeed, what is quite mild for you is cold for us. After all, Canberra is our coldest, Capital city.

And interestingly, Canberra is our first non-colonial city. The rest of our Capital cities are on the coast, in harbours or rivers where the settlers first arrived.

You might say Canberra is our first Continental city, high in the Southern Tablelands, safe from Naval guns, safe from tropical diseases and even ticks.

And the cold may or may not be character building, but the cold teaches us the meaning of warmth.
 

lowtech redneck

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I don't know if any of these have been mentioned yet...

Leather jackets with a removable layer of extra padding kick ass, get one.

Earmuffs look stupid, but they are quite usefull.

When lacking alternatives, yardwork gloves get the job done in cold weather.

Also, alcohol has a deceptive warming affect, you shouldn't trust it (but drink it anyway).
 

Malleus

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Worse part of the cold for me is it dries my nose out and causes me to get a nose bleeds so easily. I have to constantly keep putting some kind of moisturizer in my nostril or I will bleed out, not really but you get the point.
 

rhinosaur

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This morning I carried a space heater around from room to room while I went about my business. :D
 
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