Marjory shares her top 4 tips and tricks for keeping the outside warm while working on a homestead in winter.
image from Artur Palak From Pixar
When you start living more sustainably, you’ll have more time outdoors. And, in winter, it can be difficult to keep warm while working outside in the cold. Gathering or chopping firewood, tending to livestock, tending an orchard or a greenhouse – all of these activities mean you’ll be outside in the cold.
Of course, it may not be a complete Living conditions, but you want to stay warm no matter what! When you’re wondering how to stay warm outside while working in the winter, here are 4 of the best tips to follow:
Warming Tip #1: Wrap Your Neck
The neck dissipates more heat than any other part of the body. Head and feet are next on the list. However, the neck is the most important part of the body to keep warm.in my Backpack (also doubles as a wallet), I have a scarf。 I’ve used it multiple times to keep warm during unexpected cold fronts.
Have you ever started to have a scratchy throat and felt the start of a cold or flu? I like to wear it around my neck when I sleep at night. I’ve found that this simple action seems to nip a sore throat in the bud! While I’m no doctor, my theory is that by wrapping your neck, it creates a localized slight heat, which might stop the trouble before it has time to spread.
Check out this article on treating a fever—and when no Treat fever. The comments section of this post is especially amazing –Click here to read how to help reduce a fever.
Warming Tip #2: Wrap Your Kidneys
An ancient way to dress warmly in winter is to wrap your kidneys. The idea on the surface seemed too simple to work. But if you follow that logic, it makes perfect sense.
You can also enjoy: “Wrapped Kidneys: Preparing Your Body for Winter”
When we’re cold, our bodies divert extra blood to our core to protect our vital organs from freezing. As a result, two things happened. First, you will feel a significant increase in core stress due to the extra blood flow. Second, the parts of the body furthest from the internal organs lose blood flow and cool down faster.
Update 1/30/21: our Luxurious, Handcrafted Ultimate Kidney Care Got rave reviews – but we have a limited supply, so get yours now! Click here to purchase your heirloom quality kidney pack.
The pressurized kidney pack mimics your body’s response by adding insulation around your internal organs and increasing pressure in the core area, so no extra blood flow is needed to keep your organs warm. This means you can keep blood flow strong from the top of your head to the tips of your fingers and toes. This will make you feel warm all over your body.
Beating the Cold Tip #3: Stay Hydrated
For some reason, it seems to be harder to stay hydrated and drink enough fluids when it’s cold outside. Of the many signs of dehydration, catching a cold is usually one of the first to show up.some other signs may be dry lips, dizziness when standing, slowed mental function.I found that making a quart of tea (like using nettle leaves or oat straw) sipping throughout the day helps me drink more fluids.by using quart sized mason jarsI can easily tell how much I drink during the day.
You can also enjoy:
“How to Make an Herbal Infusion”
“Oatstraw: stress reliever, love potion, brain booster, and more”
I’ve found that drinking tea helps keep me hydrated better than drinking straight water. My grandmother always drank nutritious herbal tea. Good health is just a push away! Drinking tea is a great way to help with this process. Wildcrafting and/or growing your own tea is easy and can be a fun gardening project for the whole family.
Warming Tip #4: Prepare a Warm Space for Your Return
image from larry white From Pixar
I learned this trick when I got my permaculture certification. It’s a lot easier to go out and brave the cold if you have a warm place to come back to. It doesn’t have to be one big room, or even the whole house. But knowing that there will be a warm place to give you a psychological boost when you go back inside. I’ve relied on it for years, so I wouldn’t consider going outside without first setting my warm spot!
Throw a few logs on the fire and set up the flue before you get dressed and head out so you’ll have a warm place waiting for you. If you don’t use wood for heating, maybe you can run a micro heater in a small room to have a “warm area” to return to.
No matter which one you choose, it’s crucial to know that you have a warm place to return to after working outside. And, you never know: If you have an accident outside, having a warm space to return to in an emergency is critical to your survival.
What do you think?
Do you have any advice on how to keep warm outside while working in cold weather? Leave a comment – I’d love to hear their opinion!
____________________________________________________________________________________________
This is an updated version of a post originally published on December 1, 2016.
The Grow Network is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is designed to provide a way for our team to earn fees for recommending our favorite products! If you purchase something after clicking one of our links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support of TGN!
(7,146 visits, 27 visits today)
Marjory Wildcraft is the founder of The Grow Network, a community focused on modern self-sufficient living. She has been named an expert on off-grid living by National Geographic, moderates the Mother Earth News Online Homes Summit, and is listed in Who’s Who in America for inspiring hundreds of thousands of backyard gardens. Marjory was the focus of an article that won the Reuters Food Sustainability Media Award, and she recently wrote Growing Systems: The Essential Guide to Modern Self-Sufficient Living—From Growing Food to Medicine.
