While we haven’t exactly seen our first snow flakes in Central Illinois, it sure does feel pretty icy out there. I’ve written posts on how to stay cool in the summer and how to take the edge off your minor burn, but I’ve never written about how to keep yourself from turning into an icicle once the temperatures get below freezing. Some of these suggestions you may have heard before and others may have you scratching your head – give ’em a shot and I’d love to hear your feedback! As promised via Twitter, at the end of today’s post I’m sharing some ultra exciting news with y’all.
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Let’s start off this post with a no-brainer: Dress in Layers.
We’re at that weird time in the year where it’s 30 degrees when you leave the house in the morning, but by the time lunch time rolls around it’s a balmy 56 degrees and I’m sweating bullets in my winter coat. My AP Psych teacher in high school told me to always dress for the weather that was expected for when I left the house and then again for when I arrived back home. While I have no regrets leaving the house in a hat, scarf and winter jacket, that’s most certainly not the way to dress when it’s almost 60 degrees in the afternoon. I like to wear tank tops under my sweatshirt, sweater or flannel and then have my winter jacket over that. I typically include cold weather accessories like hats, gloves and a scarf because they’ll keep me warm when I need to be and also tuck away nicely in my backpack once the weather warms up.
Here are some of my favorites!
Women’s AB Studio Marled Cozy Cardigan • $16
Plaid poplin button-down shirt • Gap • $24
Merona Fashion Scarves Merona Floral White • Merona • $14.99
RT by Cirque® Nordic Stag Beanie • $7.98
Columbia Hiking Crew Socks – Women • Columbia • $14.99
Women’s Ultrawarm Mittens • L.L. Bean • $39.95
Bring a Couple of Hair Ties.
Anyone else not a fan of the incredibly uncomfortable feeling of being sweaty from power walking through the cold wind to get your next class? Seriously, one of the weirdest sensations I’ve ever felt. Enter the hair tie. Again, another simple suggestion, but one I find that often gets overlooked. When I am all bundled up, I like to put my hair up in a pony tail or bun so that some cool air can graze along the back of my neck. “But I thought this post was about keeping warm?” You’re not wrong. After I get all settled wherever I am, I put my hair down to retain the heat from the back of my neck. These have been my favorite hair ties for years.
FUN FACT: Because of the sheer volume of blood that travels through your neck, it is one of the hottest places in your body. Other “hottest places” around your body include your arm pits, backs of your knees and crotch. Knowledge.
Get Warm on the Inside First.
Hot coffee, hot chocolate, hot soup, hot sandwiches, hell even hot pizza. Take care of yourself by giving yourself the proper fuel, but if you’re cold, do what’s logical – eat and drink warm things. If you’re in a hurry, take your morning cup of Joe or fresh cup of tea with you in a cute to-go thermos. My favorite thing to do is to keep a few tea bags with me at all times and then if I’m ever cold, I go to the Union or to work and heat up a cup of water in the microwave and make myself a fresh cup of tea. I highly recommend doing this especially since tea bags are relatively inexpensive (depending on the type of tea, of course). My favorite bargain tea buy is getting the huge box of 140ish Market Pantry tea bags from Target for around $2 – you really can’t beat that price.
Other Simple Switches:
- Mittens over gloves.
- Thermal socks over ankle socks.
- Wool over cotton.
- Leggings instead of tights.
Now onto the exciting news I’ve been alluding to. In case you don’t follow me on Instagram, I’ll just spell it out here:
TUCKER AND I ARE ENGAGED!!!!
*Happy dancing for days!* We are both super excited and are really enjoying each other’s company and constantly celebrating this new milestone in our lives. I can’t wait to share things with y’all moving forward – as for right now, we’re gonna celebrate 🙂
How do y’all stay warm when the weather turns cold?
