Staying Warm in Winter

Cold by nature? Hate winter? Is your family or roommate sick of the ridiculous heat costs because you keep turning the thermostat up? There are ways you can keep warm without going broke or spending the entire day wearing your winter jacket.

1) cayenne pepper: Cayenne is one of the best known natural remedies for poor circulation, which can lead to feeling cold, especially in extremities. You can buy it in bulk (at health stores) for much cheaper than you would buy it in a container. It is classified by different heat units (hu) so the hotter, the better. The heat units generally go from 35,000 to 90,000, so if you can find the 90,000, that's the one you want. But be careful, it's hot! You can also buy pills and tinctures online, but I have read that taking it in a pill can upset your stomach, as it is not prepared for the spice. Generally, when you eat something spicy, your mouth firsts tastes it and that sends signals to your stomach to prepare for the spiciness. If you take it in a gelatin encased pill, your stomach has no forewarning. So be careful with this. If you do buy it powdered, you can put in in soups, stews, and various other foods. You can also put it in tea and hot chocolate. A little goes a long way. You can also buy the whole peppers and use them in a stir fry, soup, or salad (or however you would prefer them!).

2) ginger root: Ginger root is also said to be very warming. As with cayenne pepper, you can buy it in a powder, dried, crystallized, or fresh. I recommend buying it fresh and cooking with it or making tea with it (as an added bonus, it's also good for nausea). You would need to dice or shred it (I generally use a cheese grater), place it in a tea ball, and then submerge it in hot water. You can add powdered cayenne to this for an extra kick. To set off the spiciness, you can add honey or some sort of sweetener.

3) warm/spicy foods: In general, it is a good idea in winter, especially if you're cold-natured, to eat and drink plenty of warm foods and drinks. Spicy foods, such as curries, will also help keep you warm. It's also a good idea to avoid too much cold food or drinks, such as ice cream and other frozen/refridgerated foods. Avoid ice water if you can and try to drink water at room temperature. Try drinking tea, hot chocolate, and/or hot milk throughout the day .

4) exercise: Yoga specifically is especially good for increasing circulation, but any exercise is good for increasing circulation and warming up the body. In yoga, sun salutations, a series of flowing posture that get your hear rate going, can help warm you up. Headstand is also a warming posture. Running, jogging, dancing, aerobics, and other exercises that give you a cardio workout are a good idea, although pretty much any exercise you're willing to do will probably help. If you're cold hanging out in the house, try just doing some jumping jacks while watching TV. That should warm you right up.

5) survival blankets: Okay, so this might be a little extreme, but if you get cold like I do, you understand. Survival blankets (also called "space blankets") are blankets that are specially formulated to reflect most of a person's body heat back to him/her. They're generally used in rescue or camping emergency kits to keep warm in emergency situations, but hey, they could also just help you warm up without turning the heat up. They're not the prettiest blankets, or necessarily the most comfortable, but boy are they effective and I've found them online for under $10.

6) small room, lots of people: People are kind of like space heaters that only work for a short distance, and if you get enough of them together in a small room, it will definitely warm up quickly. So on those really cold nights, have a party and invite all your friends over.

7) shrink wrap the windows: Windows let heat out and cold winter air in. But you can shrink wrap the windows to help keep the heat in. It's cheap and fairly easy, and I've heard it can make a big difference in heating bills. Here's a link to a video clip that shows you just how to do it: http://www.curbly.com/bruno/posts/466-The-Fix-Its-Shrink-Wrap-Your-Windows-For-Winter

8) warm air humidifier: This one is great because it addresses both the cold and the dry aspects of winter air. Warm air humidifiers basically fill the room with steam. You fill them with water, they heat it up, then they disperse it in steam form. So if you've ever wanted to turn you bedroom into a steam room, there you go. The cheapest you can find them is around $30, but personally, I just use an electric tea kettle. It doesn't hold as much water but besides that it works just as well. These, like any small heating device, work best in small, enclosed rooms.

I have one more suggestion: if you're willing to go to drastic measures, keep in mind that apartments (the higher the floor the better) are great for inexpensive heat. Some places will include heat in rent, so you won't have to pay extra for turning it up a few degrees. Plus, apartments are usually carpeted (which helps keep in heat) and if you're on or above the second floor, you will have the added bonus of everyone else's heat rising up into your apartment. I had a friend who didn't even need to turn his heat on in winter it would get so warm in his place just from the other apartments. We would come over and change into tank tops. Man, that was awesome.

Well, good luck keeping warm (without too much cost) this winter. Let's hope it's a mild one!