With the coming of winter, you might be dreading at how much you’ll spend on your heating bills. Thankfully, there are plenty of effective ways to stay warm all winter long that don’t involve spending a small fortune on your heating bills. While it might be the beginning of fall, it’s never too early to get yourself and your home ready for the inevitable cold touch of winter.
Layers Are Your Friend
Rather than wearing a single thick sweatshirt, it is better that you dress yourself up in layers when going outside. This means starting with long underwear and wool socks as a base layer and adding a breathable and wind- and water-resistant layer on top of that. The goal is to keep from losing heat through frigid winds and the cold ground. Another great thing about layers is they’re a fun way to play around with your wardrobe and achieve different looks.
Warm Your Body Before You Warm Up Your Home
Try to get into the habit of warming yourself up first before you reach for the thermostat. Use the above tip and slip on another layer if you’re cold in your own home. While you might feel a bit silly bundling up as if you’re about to go outside while all you’re doing is watching a home movie, you’re sure to not feel silly when you look at how much you save on your heating bills. There’s also the fact that by warming up your body rather than your home, you’re doing the environment a favor.
Eat Warm Foods
This tip might seem a bit obvious, but it’s still effective. Prepare hot or warm foods when it’s time to eat this winter instead of cold foods. Specifically, you’ll want to consume healthy fats, which boost your metabolism to help keep you nice and warm. Hot chocolate, coffee drinks, soups, chili and spicy foods make for the perfect cuisine choices to keep your body temperature high. Additionally, you should also make sure you keep yourself well-hydrated so your body is better to tolerate the cold that much more.
Keep Yourself Physically Fit
Worried about gaining weight eating healthy fats? Exercising is a great way to warm up as well as an effective way to have an easier time of keeping warm and dealing with cold weather. While you’d likely ideally prefer to have no fat on your bones, you’ll appreciate having it during the winter. That being said, you want to have a healthy amount of fat. Go for a jog or run outside if you can stand it. Not only will you be getting in exercise, you’ll also be exposing yourself to the cold, which allows your body to get used to it
Turn on Your Ceiling Fan
It seems counterintuitive to use your fan during the colder months of the year, but it’s actually a good idea. Because the warm air your HVAC unit pumps out rises, you want to keep it low. One good way of doing so is by turning your ceiling fans on and making sure they’re running clockwise to help push the air down.
Refrain From Drinking Alcohol
Even though it might seem as though alcohol helps keep you warm, the opposite is actually true, even if you’re sweating while drinking, which is actually a sign you’re losing body heat. What’s happening is alcohol affects reflexes tied to body temperature control, which means you might not shiver even if you’re cold. While you don’t have to avoid alcohol entirely this winter, be careful of how much you drink and where you drink.
You don’t have to sell an organ to pay your heating bill and stay warm this winter. The right information is sure to serve you and your body well.