Cold weather tips? How do you cope?

pickarooney

bluewolf wrote: »

I generally manage to be a bit warmer than everyone else somehow

Werewolf DNA?

pickarooney

pickarooney wrote: »

Werewolf DNA?

:pac:

Duno why it is, been that way since I was a child. Maybe I have really good circulation or something?

ldxo15wus6fpgm

bluewolf wrote: »

:pac:

Duno why it is, been that way since I was a child. Maybe I have really good circulation or something?

Think it's more to do with your metabolism.
Some people just run hot, some run cold.

I have good circulation (rosy cheeks and whatnot) but usually if I'm cuddling with a lady-person she'd be fine and I'd feel way too hot. My hands are always cold compared to other people's, but I don't think they're cold until I touch someone!

TomBeckett

Buy a plane ticket to the tropics and get the f**k out of there!!!:p

Elbow

A hat is vital as is wearing the entire contents of your wardrobe at the same time


Now......Slightly off topic but am i the only person that has to suffer with a girlfriend made of solid ice for 3 months of the year?


I hop into bed, make a cocoon for myself (You may laugh but at least i'm warm and happy ) , snow woman appears, Seconds later shes taken the warm blankets, tucked herself in next to me and i'm colder than when i originally got into the bed :mad:

I'm convinced she's lying to me about taking off make up etc and actually hanging in the freezer for a few minutes before bed!

Helix

1) its not cold in ireland

2) layers

3) layers

4) see 2

Adyx

Clohane wrote: »

A hat is vital as is wearing the entire contents of your wardrobe at the same time


Now......Slightly off topic but am i the only person that has to suffer with a girlfriend made of solid ice for 3 months of the year?


I hop into bed, make a cocoon for myself (You may laugh but at least i'm warm and happy ) , snow woman appears, Seconds later shes taken the warm blankets, tucked herself in next to me and i'm colder than when i originally got into the bed :mad:

I'm convinced she's lying to me about taking off make up etc and actually hanging in the freezer for a few minutes before bed!

All women are cold-blooded. This is a fact. They are warmth vampires. :mad:

prinz

Clohane wrote: »

Now......Slightly off topic but am i the only person that has to suffer with a girlfriend made of solid ice for 3 months of the year?

I wish it was only three months of the year. Put loads of effort into getting nice and warm and vooooomp there she is arms around me stealing it, degree by degree

Pauleta

Ive been wearing leggings under my jeans. €4 in penneys but i had to go searching through the womens clothes section

rainbowdrop

Jaxton Flabby Gunrunner wrote: »

Think it's more to do with your metabolism.
Some people just run hot, some run cold

I never seem to feel the cold, for some reason (I'm a laydee:p) All I ever wear in the winter time is a T-shirt and a hoody. Last winter for the first time ever since I moved to Ireland, I wore a light rain jacket on my evening walk when the temperature got to minus 6 or 7. Would never wear gloves, scarf or a hat.

Maybe it's cos I grew up in the North of England? It was a lot colder there than it gets here (and northerners are well known for never wearing jackets)

Is there a scientific reason for some people feeling the cold more than others?

foxinsox

Invest in one of those horrendous looking "Uncle Buck" hats with ear flaps!

Wear it.. age has no shame..

Snug as a bug..



For extra excitement..
Leave it on indoors..
Also keeps you lovely and warm..

Local-womanizer

Biggins wrote: »

That one is a misconception - for the elderly especially, a very dangerous one.

The intake of alcohol actually lowers a persons body temperature. As such they start to feel the cold less in that their body notices less the differentiation between their own heat and the outside heat.

The onset then of cold related illnesses becomes harder to detect. Pneumonia, etc get a greater chance to gain a hold in the elderly especially.
They think their body is getting warm when in fact their temperature is actually lowering to that of their surroundings.

True,but when the whisky is made with boiling water surely it heats you up?!

Cheap Thrills!

foxinsox wrote: »

Invest in one of those horrendous looking "Uncle Buck" hats with ear flaps!

Wear it.. age has no shame..

Snug as a bug..



For extra excitement..
Leave it on indoors..
Also keeps you lovely and warm..

A furry deerstalker! Can't be beaten!!! Fake fur of course! I have one with bobbles!!!

Biggins

Local-womanizer wrote: »

True,but when the whisky is made with boiling water surely it heats you up?!

The hot water actually boils most of the alcohol away so the possible so called "advantage" properties of the drink in alcohol terms are neutralised - the hot water itself is whats heating you up - regardless of what its mixed in.

Gran Hermano

Liberally apply a few tubes of Deep Heat from head to toe a la Withnail & I.

Absurdum

cyberwolf77 wrote: »

Blocks all the little microdrafts around the edges of the windows, very common hereabouts in Buffalo. We are the poster children of wind-chill factor.

hello carbon monoxide poisoning :P

Local-womanizer

Biggins wrote: »

The hot water actually boils most of the alcohol away so the possible so called "advantage" properties of the drink in alcohol terms are neutralised - the hot water itself is whats heating you up - regardless of what its mixed in.

Believe me,it doesnt boil all of the alcohol away,or else I am just having a placebo effec to it...:(

Way to ruin winter drinking for me Biggins!!!!! :mad:

CrazyRabbit

Well, I was freezing. So I went outside and held a large piece of spiked metal in the air. About 5 mins later, I was struck by lightning. I'm pretty warm now...well in the parts of my body where I still have feeling.

Odysseus

I'm a ultra runner, which means in Ireland I spend winter, cold, wet, hungry and tired. I also do 160km round trip on a motor bike each day. I wear termals, even a thermal bally, all my bike kit cold gets in. More important for me it getting something on my head, head and feet are the two places you will lose body heat. That and layers of course. I often have now feeling in the tip of my fingers for a few hours after the commute home on the bike. But such is life. If it is that bad, fifty push up will warm you up

Mr Benevolent

Odysseus wrote: »

I'm a ultra runner, which means in Ireland I spend winter, cold, wet, hungry and tired. I also do 160km round trip on a motor bike each day. I wear termals, even a thermal bally, all my bike kit cold gets in. More important for me it getting something on my head, head and feet are the two places you will lose body heat. That and layers of course. I often have now feeling in the tip of my fingers for a few hours after the commute home on the bike. But such is life. If it is that bad, fifty push up will warm you up

That sounds truly horrible. Do you lash yourself with a cat o'ninetails to relax afterwards? Maybe jam your nuts in a vice?

Odysseus

Confab wrote: »

That sounds truly horrible. Do you lash yourself with a cat o'ninetails to relax afterwards? Maybe jam your nuts in a vice?

No not at all, but I train in Ireland for ultra events in the desert, when I go for a run it could be for 15hr with about 10-15kg in my backpack. As for the commute I enjoy it, passing all those cnuts in cars, even if they are warm and dry:mad: See I really take thing easy in the bigger picture.

Pherekydes

Flashlights with spare batteries (Oy, you sniggering at the back, I said flashlights), blankets, two thermos flasks (one with coffee, one with soup), tyre chains, a spade for digging out, wooly hats, gloves, a car-kit battery charger for the mobile, tins of baked beans, a SEAL-standard satellite phone, a whistle, a compass and a map of whatever area I'm driving in.

None of these things are in my car.

HTFU, will ya.

opinion guy

Amiyah Melodic Symbol wrote: »

My winter survival - drive EVERYWHERE!.

Heater on full blast, beanie, scarf, hoodie, gloves - the works.

I dread winter, my moods are sh*t, I get muscle cramps everywhere. Impossible to keep my feet warm.. Even beer doesn't taste the same.

Tried vitamin D in the winter ?

Odysseus wrote: »

No not at all, but I train in Ireland for ultra events in the desert, when I go for a run it could be for 15hr with about 10-15kg in my backpack. As for the commute I enjoy it, passing all those cnuts in cars, even if they are warm and dry:mad: See I really take thing easy in the bigger picture.

Hmmm. A thought. Artic Ireland may not be the best place to train for Desert Marathons !? Thought about moving to Nevada ?

Pherekydes wrote: »

Flashlights with spare batteries (Oy, you sniggering at the back, I said flashlights), blankets, two thermos flasks (one with coffee, one with soup), tyre chains, a spade for digging out, wooly hats, gloves, a car-kit battery charger for the mobile, tins of baked beans, a SEAL-standard satellite phone, a whistle, a compass and a map of whatever area I'm driving in.

None of these things are in my car.

HTFU, will ya.

Lol - some of that is in my car :P

opinion guy

colm1234 wrote: »

I agree and we should be due a zombie apocalypse soon enough way things are going might be best way to keep the population down imagine all irelands government turn first how would we best kill them thats a list i wanna see

I thought the government already were mindless zombies ?

Saibh

Pookah wrote: »

I don't know what they're called, but you can get these reflective things which fit behind a radiator, which retain a lot of heat, esp in poorly insulated houses.

Lidl have this as their current special
http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20101125.p.Radiator_Reflector_Foil

Biggins

opinion guy wrote: »

I thought the government already were mindless zombies ?

No, thats just those that are still voting for them!

cyberwolf77

Absurdum wrote: »

hello carbon monoxide poisoning :P

No cases I know of in thirty years

southsiderosie

Biggins wrote: »

...But seriously, I asked the original question because due to the carbon tax alone doubling and as such, bills like as ESB/Gas/etc showing no signs of coming down but getting worse - some folk out there would appreciate further tips on how to keep warm this winter, outdoors and inside.

I'll be quite fine but I'm sure there are some helpful tips out there that some might like to share.

I grew up in Chicago where it is truly cold in the winter. Ireland is damp, and the houses are poorly insulated, but it's not bitterly cold like it is in the Upper Midwest. We didn't have a lot of money growing up, so here are some of the things we used to do to stay warm and keep the heating bills down.

At home, fleece jackets, lined sweatpants, and good slippers help. Get a real, heavy, goose down duvet (don't be cheap about this, a good one will last for years) and flannel sheets (these you can find cheap - NOTE: this stuff will all be on clearance in the spring, which is always a good time to stock up. Just something to keep in mind for next year).

Move your bed away from the window. +1 on the suggestion to put plastic over the windows, if you live in an older house. Also on a windy day, check for cracks and drafts around your baseboards and around the window, and if you need to, use a caulk gun to plug some of the cracks letting the cold air through. For newer houses, if you can, put the thermostat on a timer, so it only runs from 6pm - 6am (or whatever works for your family).

Hot liquid food helps warm you from the inside. Tea, soup, stew, etc. A great kitchen tool to have for winter is a crock pot (slow cooker? I don't know what you would call this in Ireland). Not only are the new ones very energy efficient, but because you cook the food slowly over several hours, you can use cheaper cuts of meat and it will still come out tender. There are lots of slow-cooker recipes and cookbooks online. And it is pretty dummy-proof: just throw some ingredients in the pot in the morning, plug it in, and several hours later you have a hot savory (cheap) meal. Plus there is nothing better than coming in from the cold to a (relatively) warm house filled with the smell of stew.

Also, all of these people saying "drive everywhere", I totally disagree. Get out and walk. The first 5-10 minutes is hard, but walking gets your blood moving and can help lift your spirits when it is gloomy. If it is pissing rain, maybe skip the walk, but if it is dry or only snowing, WALK. When you get home, or arrive at your destination, you'll feel better, and it won't seem as cold. Try to walk for at least half an hour a day, if not more. The key is to break the 10-15 minute point, so you actually get warmed up. You don't need to run, just keep up a brisk, steady pace.

Finally, too many people complain that they are cold because they are either fashion victims, or don't buy appropriate winter clothes. Invest in decent winter clothes. The most important thing is waterproof insulated boots with good thick soles. Save your Uggs for wearing around the house! Even if it is dry, wearing sneakers with extra socks won't help because the cold creeps in through the soles, and then makes your whole body cold. You also need good outerwear (preferably waterproof), a hat, and gloves (although mittens are warmer). A coat with a big hood is good, because you can pull it up over your hat if it starts raining or snowing.

I always wear a scarf, even when inside, because my neck gets cold; gentlemen get over yourselves ask ask someone to get you a nice cashmere scarf for Christmas .

Layers are good because after your brisk walk, you will be hot, so you can strip down, and slowly add the layers back on as your body temperature cools again.

That's all I can think of for now.

CrazyRabbit

If truly desperate, set fire to the Dail and it'll keep you warm for hours. It's only full of rubbish anyway.

STIG83

If you dont want to be cold, move to a warmer climate, maybe Oz

Wolfe Tone

Hmmm What drinks should I be getting in the pub in these cold times? Im a Capt Morgans man usually, or Bulmers.

koHd

Excellent stuff, southsiderosie. Definitely agree with not skimping on a good bedding. Also spend well on good clothes and waterproof shoes.

The shoes are a big problem as you mention. If they're more for fashion, your feet will get cold and damp and then your whole body temperature will lower.

I'm tight with money right now so instead of getting some fashionable shoes for Chrimbo, I'm spending $60-80 (I'll be in the US staying with in-laws for xmas) on good waterproof footware for when I return to Ireland to be greeted by the freezing January-February period.

Wish I had the shoes now though, me feet do be baltic!

Star Bingo

STIG83 wrote: »

If you dont want to be cold, move to a warmer climate, maybe Oz

have you not heard of the blizzard of oz.

Biggins

Your a star Southsiderosie - heck of a post. Cheers!

southsiderosie

koHd wrote: »

Excellent stuff, southsiderosie. Definitely agree with not skimping on a good bedding. Also spend well on good clothes and waterproof shoes.

The shoes are a big problem as you mention. If they're more for fashion, your feet will get cold and damp and then your whole body temperature will lower.

I'm tight with money right now so instead of getting some fashionable shoes for Chrimbo, I'm spending $60-80 (I'll be in the US staying with in-laws for xmas) on good waterproof footware for when I return to Ireland to be greeted by the freezing January-February period.

Wish I had the shoes now though, me feet do be baltic!

koHd, don't know where you are going to be in the US, but if you can, check out DSW - they have really good prices on boots and shoes (including odd sizes). I think they also have a website.

Also, www.zappos.com is probably the greatest shoe website IN THE WORLD! Not only do they have an amazing range, but they have free one-day delivery and free returns, so it makes shopping for boots that much easier, and you don't have to worry if they don't fit properly (they will credit your account quickly if you return a pair). And they have excellent customer service.

Through DSW or Zappos you should be able to get a pair of $120 boots for around $70-80.

Cheap Thrills!

Seems like more snow and subzero tempratures are part of our climate now...

I wonder is it possible to buy those chains that go around your tyres.
Anyone know those things I mean...?