Thursday 2 December 2010

Keeping cosy

I do love the snow but when it's this cold I just feel like hibernating in bed all weekend!

If, like me, you find it hard to stay warm then you can get quite uncomfortable in the cold weather and your body can quickly go into 'power save' mode, basically preserving energy and diverting heat to your organs leaving you with super cold hands and feet. This is why climbers have sometimes been left for dead on the mountain, with no detectable pulse, only to revive when the sun came out.

As your metabolism slows your temperature can drop further leading to weakened immune defenses, not what you need this time of year. It can also slow down your digestion and healing and repair.

The problem is that the colder you get the less you feel like moving about, although I did see one crazy guy out running this evening. So given that we sadly can't curl up like door mice and stay in bed for three months, how can we keep our metabolisms up and running?

Keep moving - you might not feel like going for a run (and quite frankly it would be madness) but regular exercise will keep your metabolism and temperature up, whether that's at the gym or at home ... now might be a good time to dust off your exercise dvds!

Heat up from the inside - hot food and drink can help enormously and protein rich meals can keep you warm for quite a while after eating them. You probably won't much feel like cold drinks so regular herbal teas are a good way to keep up water intake.

Spice it up - pepper, chillies and spices not only have a hot taste but also all speed up the metabolism if eaten regularly so now's the time to enjoy some curry!

Turn up the heating! - not very environmentally friendly I know, but your body will have a better chance of fighting off any bugs going around if you keep it warm. Also if you're cold at night your muscles may tense up leading to restless sleep. I'm loving my hot water bottle at the moment and sleeping like a baby.
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