You don't have to be cold

This winter, resolve not to keep shivering

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is that you don't have to be cold. If
you are cold natured, you can plan ahead to figure

(00:24):
out ways to stay warm during winter or for that matter,
in aggressively air conditioned places during summer. There is no
need to suffer unnecessarily. I am doing this episode because,
as people who know me in person are well aware,
I am constantly cold. That can make winter a pretty

(00:49):
miserable experience. But the good news is that I know
myself well enough to know that I am likely to
be cold, and so I take steps to mitigate this problem.
As we are coming into a colder season for those
of us in the northern Hemisphere, at least, if you
also get cold all the time, you might like to

(01:10):
use a few of these strategies too for starters. Every season,
I always have a cardigan or jacket with me. It
is easy enough to stick a light cardigan in my
purse or even just in my car, and this means
that even in summer, I am never caught off guard
by a cool night or meat locker temperature, hotel, ballroom,

(01:36):
I also realize that it's my feet getting cold that
really makes me icy, so I bring socks too. I
never board a plane without socks in my purse, because
even if it is ninety degrees in one location and
you are flying to somewhere else that is ninety degrees,
the plane might still be chilly. You just don't know.

(01:58):
I have also been known to plan my wardrobe to
account for the reality of cold spaces. Black pants and
stylish boots still look nice, but won't leave my legs
and feet freezing, like a dress and sandals or even
just regular heels. For actual winter, of course, I have

(02:20):
big thick socks and a big thick coat that comes
down to my knees. If you wear knee high boots
and a long coat, you're just much more covered and
hence warmer than if you wear those tiny little puffer things.
I mean, sure they look cute, but don't follow me
for style rules. I like to be warm, but and

(02:42):
this is key. I also had a realization a few
years ago. Most cold weather gear is designed to keep
your warmth in, and for normal people that might be effective,
but if you are like me, your body just doesn't
produce enough warmth. For this to work, I can wear
the best gloves out there, really really pricey ones, and

(03:03):
my fingers will still be numb. If that is the case,
then you need to add a heat source in order
to stay warm. Fortunately, this is pretty easy. I buy
hot hands warmers and put them in my coat pockets
anytime I will be outside for a while. You can
put them in your shoes too if you want. If

(03:26):
you are always cold, go ahead and buy a big
container of them. Don't be stingy with using them. I
was able to sit outside for two Eagles games in
January this past year because I had those hot hand
warmers place strategically around my body. That is really saying

(03:46):
something for me. If you work somewhere drafty, get a
portable speach heater. If this is allowed now, you definitely
need to be responsible with it. Turning it off when
you are not around can make a huge difference. And
don't forget your car. Many cars have a heated seat
option or a heated steering will option. I turn mine

(04:10):
on in November and keep it on until April. I
also think through when I am most likely to be cold,
and even worse, wet showers theoretically feature warm water, but
when you get out, the cold air hits you and
hug So I figured out that using two towels was

(04:31):
a major improvement over using one towel. I use one
for my body and simultaneously one for my hair, and
now I am not shivering when I dry my hair,
and I don't have wet hair dripping down my back
when I'm drying my body. I also wash my face
in warm water. If washing my face at nightment splashing

(04:52):
myself with cold water, I just didn't want to do it,
But using warm water is isn't bad at all. Same
for washing hands. If a sink has two faucets, don't
default to just turning on the cold one. Turn them
both on for something that's not scalding but is toasty.

(05:17):
Some discomforts are part of life and we have to cope,
but generally speaking, being cold doesn't have to fall in
that category. So figure out what works to keep you
warm at least most of the time, and you will
be a lot less uncomfortable and distracted this winter. Do
you have tips for keeping warm? I would love to

(05:39):
hear them. You can reach me at Laura at Laura
vandercam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks
for listening, and here's to making the most of our time.

(06:01):
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,
or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura
vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.
For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

(06:24):
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.