BY MAGRETH RUZVIDZO- Staying warm is one of the most essential thing almost everyone requires this season, given the outbreak of the coronavirus, which thrives in low temperatures. Besides, surely no one wants to spend the whole winter shivering and wishing that the season could end already. Here are simple and inexpensive ways to keep warm at home and in our various workplaces. These ways doesn’t require much creativity or energy-just a few steps and you are good to go!
The first important thing is to do is to be prepared way before winter. Buy warm clothes before winter so that you don’t feel pressurised when it’s already cold. Most people have a tendency of relaxing and waiting for winter to come so they can start buying morning gowns, shoes, hats, scarfs, jackets and other winter necessities. Let’s stop this habit and be always prepared.
Always avoid eating or drinking cold foods. It is very important to always take warm meals throughout the day. Make sure you cook your meal when you want to have it and avoid taking left overs unless they are properly reheated. Cooking up your food is also an added advantage because the heat from the stove or oven travels across the whole room/s thereby warming your home.
Also drink a cup of warm water every morning before having any meal. You may add lemon or turmeric to your warm water as they both have essential health benefits. This can also improve your skin, prevent heart diseases, improve digestion and reduce inflammation among others. So besides keeping you warm, warm water with lemon or turmeric can keep a doctor away as well!
As much as we would like to keep our bodies warm, we should avoid taking too much caffeine as it has effects to our body. Many researches by health experts prove that taking too much caffeine may cause vessels to constrain which limit blood flow!
Always wear warm clothes. One should have a better understanding of best material that can keep you warm in winter. Examples are fleece, silk and wool. Don’t be embarrassed to layer up. You can layer up in a fashionable way maybe by wearing a sweater and tight inside and then a nice wool dress. Put on a hat and socks. For extra warmth, I personally wrap up myself with a fleece and put it off when I get too warm. Always wear socks and avoid walking barefooted especially indoors. Remember that cold hands and feet makes it harder to fall asleep. So make sure that these parts are always warm especially before going to bed. Their blood vessels when open, help in redistributing heat all over the body. I remember when I was still at school, my mom would always call me telling me what to wear to avoid getting cold. She would always stress that it’s difficult to take the out cold once it’s inside the body.
Switch between cold and hot water in the shower. Hot water improves warmth in your body but cold water helps blood circulation. Switching between the two in shower can help in boosting blood circulation thereby generating heat in your body.
Keep your bed warm. Other people say that a simple way of keeping your bed warm is filling your bottle with hot water and covering it with a fleece. Place it on your bed a few minutes before you sleep. By the time you go to bed the heat will be circulating in your blankets and that bottle can stay warm for the rest of the night! Just make sure that the lid of the bottle is tight so that you won’t burn yourself. Another way is heating up rice in a fleece in a microwave and put it in your bed. This can keep you warm for half of the night.
Harness the sun. During the day, open up your windows and allow the sun to hit directly in your room. This can be a way of trapping the heat. Close the windows and curtains before sunset so that the heat trapped during the day is not affected by evening’s cold. It is essential during this time to have curtains with heavy material as they play an important role in keeping your room warm.
Above all, always Stay active! Don’t be idle! As your body becomes busy, the fat is burnt hence generating heat to the whole body. Take part in house chores, gardening and even exercising to stay active. This can be also a chance for you to do thorough cleaning in your home so that you spend most of your time doing something. A research by the University of Rochester Medical Centre shows that many people enjoy the warmth generated from a quick indoor workout. Our bodies also burn more calories when it is winter. Always find something to do.
Keep in mind that once you are affected by cold, it takes a long time to recover and get back to your normal self. Just following these few steps can keep the doctor away!