I admit it, I'm a cold-weather weenie, for lack of a better term. My ideal climate is somewhere between 75 and 95 degrees, and preferably closer to the 95 than the 75. I don't use air conditioning unless I must for either company or the house's temperature exceeding 85. So, when I check the week's weather forecast and see this:
My response was the same cold chill that Orphan Annie likely felt on the icy streets. So, besides abandoning all plans of doing anything outdoors for the next week, I'm listing a few plans that I hope will make surviving this winter's first cold snap amazing.
1. Hot beverages
Whether your poison of choice is apple cider, cocoa, mochas, or hot tea, (to which I reply "yes") it is definitely time to begin to heat up your beverages. Find a new recipe for Russian tea, hot fruit punches, and toddies, if you enjoy them. Nothing heats you up from the inside out like that warm beverage sliding down your throat into your stomach.
2. Physical activity
Tis the season to start early on that New Year's resolution, or get the final squeezes out of this year's. You simply cannot be cold after a good hour of P90X. Your body heat also makes a convenient space heater for loved ones, and if your deodorant works, you may actually manage to get some warming snuggles out of the deal. Not to mention your rock-solid body will encourage that spouse to get in on the snuggling as well. Combine this with number 3, and you're good to go.
3. Hot showers
Nothing feels better on a cold, crisp morning than to hop into a boiling hot shower. To keep your skin from molting and morphing into alligator leather, squirt some conditioner onto your wash cloth along with your body wash to soften it up a bit. You, not the wash cloth. Also, if you use clear shampoos and body washes, dig out or buy a creamy one. They're made to be less harsh and more moisturizing. I also like the ones that smell like an island beach so I can dream about summer a little more while I thaw out.
4. FWIPPIES!
I don't know what you call your fwippies--fuzzy bunny slippers, house shoes, whatever. They're a must-have for especially those of us with wood, tile, or linoleum flooring. Couple them with some warm yoga pants (see number 2), a hoodie, or my personal favorite--one of my husband's long-sleeve shirts, for a match made in the warm, celestial heavens.
5. Baking
I confess, I don't like most heaters. We aren't blessed with a fireplace at this residence, so I'm left with whatever the nebulous "they" installed in the apartment complex. Usually those things aggravate my eczema to no end and leave me coming into springtime as one massive scab that finally gets healed by October. I have a whole host of things to combat this, but the best preventive measure is simply baking.
If I bake in a 1-bedroom apartment, the temperature of the entire place shoots up by about 5 degrees. So, everything I stir-fried over the summer, I bake. Tonight, we're having baked salmon, baked potatoes, and roasted vegetables. See how this works? It warms me up just to think about standing next to the oven, starting some cookies for the upcoming holiday season, some coffeecakes for friends, some pumpkin breads, some regular breads, pizzas, you name it.
How do you keep warm in the winter? Anything I missed?
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