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Layering Clothes Effectively To Stay Warm Outside In Winter
Layering Clothes Effectively To Stay Warm Outside In Winter
Layering your clothing is one of the best ways to stay warm. Anyone who works outside or has chores around the house to take care of in the winter months understands the importance of keeping the body warm so it can operate at optimal levels.
Layering your clothing comes with many benefits, including the ability to remove one or two items of clothing if you begin to feel a bit warm and overdressed. This makes you more prepared for any possible weather outcome, writes Mountain Warehouse. When you’re doing a combination of activities such as standing, walking, sitting, going outside and inside and back outside again, your body regulates its temperature very differently. This is ideal for people who do a lot of their chores outdoors! Layering allows you to be comfortable throughout the day as your body temperature and activity level change.
But just how does this technique work to keep a person warm? Layering clothing works by trapping warm air created by your own body heat in between the many layers of clothing. That trapped warm air acts like a layer of insulation for your body. Especially in winter, because that’s when it’s much colder, keeping your core warm is a key to good health, because this is the area that generates heat for your vital organs. Those organs need your body heat to function properly.
The University of Health Services in Madison Wisconsin writes that the basics of layering include four layers.
- Base: a thin layer that fits your body. It works to wick away any sweat and moisture that would otherwise suck up your body heat.
- Mid: your normal outfit, whether that’s a long sleeved shirt or sweater.
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5 Easy And Natural Ways To Beat Stress During The Holidays
5 Easy And Natural Ways To Beat Stress During The Holidays
The joyous time of the holiday season brings with it several factors that can cause stress to become out of control. But there a few simple and all natural ways that work wonders for combating that extra pressure this season!
‘Tis the season to be jolly, right? But we’ve all been there; the stress can be intense! Many times it’s as simple as forgetting a Christmas gift and realizing you only have $4 in your bank account. Maybe it’s the extra pressure of spending money and wrapping gifts, decorating your home perfectly, attending all the church events in a timely and punctual manner while making sure you didn’t forget one thing for the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. I’ve done that! One year shortly after my husband and I first got married, I realized I had no poultry seasoning for the small turkey we’d just bought. Everything was closed in the teeny rural town where we lived at the time and I had to make due with salt and pepper. To this day, every year, I buy poultry seasoning when I make my holiday dinner shopping trip. We now have 10 (possibly more) unopened jars of the stuff hanging out in our spice cabinet because I’m afraid it’ll happen to me again!
But this happens to the best of us. Sometimes it is just too much and we need to de-stress. So here are a few simple and all natural ways to help you combat the stress the holidays can place on us.
Diffuse Essential Oils
One of the most calming things we can do is ignite our sense of smell. Using essential oil aromatherapy, this form of stress-relief can trigger the different senses in the brain through smell. Certain oils produce scents that can trigger positive feelings and thoughts in the brain.
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How To Protect Your Skin From Wind, Cold, And Sun During Winter
How To Protect Your Skin From Wind, Cold, And Sun During Winter
These crisp cool winter months are beautiful. The fresh snow lingers on the ground as you wake up to a lovely frost coating what used to be vibrantly colored trees just a few weeks ago. But now that winter is here, many still have to be outside to care for animals or land, and because of that, we’ve designed this helpful guide with natural alternatives to help keep your skin perfectly beautiful and healthy even in the icy cold and dry winter wind.
Winter presents some seriously interesting problems for those with already problematic skin. Have no worries! There are some things that can be done to minimize the effects of the harsh cold and dry weather on your skin. Here they are:
DRINK MORE WATER
During winter months, the body is going to need more water. According to a previous Ready Nutrition article by Jerimiah Johnson, getting enough water could even end up being crucial to your own survival. As Johnson puts it:
During the winter, you’ll need about a quarter to a half extra water than your body normally requires, and this increases further if you are working hard physically or exerting yourself. Remember what is happening in the cold weather. Your body is burning up calories and extra sugar and carbohydrates to heat your muscle tissue. This requires a tremendous amount of metabolic energy, down to the cellular level. Water is fuel: never forget that. With the increased cold temperatures, your metabolism works harder to stay warm. Food intake is critical, and so is water. –Ready Nutrition
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Technology Detox: The Health Benefits of Unplugging & Unwinding
Technology Detox: The Health Benefits of Unplugging & Unwinding
Recent studies have shown that 90% of Americans use digital devices for two or more hours each day and the average American spends more time a day on high-tech devices than they do sleeping: 8 hours and 21 minutes to be exact. If you’ve ever considered attempting a “digital detox”, there are some health benefits to making that change and a few tips to make things a little easier on yourself.
Many Americans are on their phones rather than playing with their children or spending quality family time together. Some people give up technology, or certain aspects of it, such as social media for varying reasons, and there are some shockingly terrific health benefits that come along with that type of a detox from technology. In fact, more and more health experts and medical professionals are suggesting a periodic digital detox; an extended period without those technology gadgets. Studies continue to show that a digital detox, has proven to be beneficial for relationships, productivity, physical health, and mental health. If you find yourself overly stressed or unproductive or generally disengaged from those closest to you, it might be time to unplug.
DIGITAL ADDICTION RESOLUTION
It may go unnoticed but there are many who are actually addicted to their smartphones or tablet. It could be social media or YouTube videos, but these are the people who never step away. They are the ones with their face in their phone while out to dinner with their family. They can’t have a quiet dinner without their phone on the table. We’ve seen them at the grocery store aimlessly pushing around a cart while ignoring their children and scrolling on their phone.
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How To Beat ‘Cabin Fever’ During The Winter With Vitamin D
How To Beat ‘Cabin Fever’ During The Winter With Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a precursor hormone and has multiple roles in the human body. It helps to maintain the health of bones and teeth, support the health of the immune system, brain, and nervous system. It also helps regulate insulin levels and aid in diabetes management. Vitamin D also supports lung function and cardiovascular health while influencing the expression of genes involved in cancer development.
Researchers in clinical studies had tested fifty-five adults between 18 and 65 with artificial light sources containing ultraviolet radiation or UV rays. The adults participating in this study were told to sit under a heat lamp or UV light in their underwear for up to 10 minutes. Researchers noticed that their vitamin D levels increased afterward. Of course, buying UV lights or heat lamps and sitting around under those lights in your underwear might not be the best or easiest solution for most people.
It is estimated that sensible sun exposure on bare skin for 5-10 minutes 2-3 times per week allows most people to produce sufficient vitamin D, but vitamin D breaks down quite quickly, meaning that stores can run low, especially in winter. In fact, recent studies have suggested that a substantial percentage of the global population is vitamin D deficient partially because of this.
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The Medicinal Power Of Nettles
The Medicinal Power Of Nettles
History
Stinging nettle is a perennial flowering plant that has been used medicinally for ages, dating back as far as Ancient Greece. Today, it can be found all over the world, but its origins are in the colder regions of Europe and Asia.
The first historically documented use of this beneficial herb was when Roman soldiers battled the cold by rubbing the leaves on their arms to induce inflammation and irritation, according to Mercola. The plant’s popularity has now spread across the world and has been used by medical practitioners since the 19th century because of its abundance of chemicals and compounds that can help the body function optimally.
How To Identify Nettle
Nettle plants can be differentiated from other plants through their leaves. The nettle leaf has an ovate shape with deeply serrated edges. These leaves also have long stinging hairs that inject chemicals into the skin when you accidentally touch or brush past them. These hairs often cause pain and inflammation in the affected area.
The stems of the leaves often have hairs on them and neither the male or female flowers have petals. The flowers form in string-like clusters at the leaf axis. The plant usually grows between two to four feet high and blooms from June to September. Nettle grows best in nitrogen-rich soil, has heart-shaped leaves, and produces yellow or pink flowers.
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City Size & Structure Can Influence Influenza Epidemics, Scientists Say
City Size & Structure Can Influence Influenza Epidemics, Scientists Say
But just how does your city’s structure impact an epidemic?
Regardless of whether flu cases rise to a wintertime peak or plateau from fall to spring, new research suggests that the size of a city itself influences the contours of its flu season according to Science News. Larger cities with higher levels of crowding were associated with a steady accumulation of influenza cases throughout a flu season. Smaller cities with less crowding tended to have a flu season with a more intense surge in winter, researchers report in the October 5 publication.
“Understanding how the size and structure of cities impact disease spread may help us to predict and control epidemics,” study co-author and population biologist Benjamin Dalziel of Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, said October 2 at a news conference.
In the United States, “flu season” occurs during fall and winter. The exact timing and duration of flu seasons can vary, but influenza activity often begins to increase in October. Flu activity typically peaks between December and February, but activity can last as late as May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). –Ready Nutrition
Flu cases generally peak during the winter in most areas of the United States because the air is quite a bit drier.
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9 Ways You Can Save BIG On Energy Costs This Winter
9 Ways You Can Save BIG On Energy Costs This Winter
Not only can a reduction in the amount of energy you use lower your impact on the Earth, but it lowers the impact on your wallet, freeing up some funds for emergencies or for other uses. In a 2013 survey, 10 percent of renters who participated in a Rent.com poll said that utilities are their biggest monthly expense, coming in third after monthly rent and groceries. And just heating your living spaces accounts for about 48 percent of your home’s total energy bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
None of the things listed below will require a big investment, but they should help you notice a little relief when your next energy bill comes.
1. Use the sun for free heat: That burning bright orb in the sky should be the focus of temperature control in your residence throughout the year, even in summer. However, once winter rolls around, open the curtains on your south-facing windows during the winter days to bring free heat into your home. Close your window coverings when the sun goes down to keep the heat locked inside.
2. Use a programmable thermostat: Save up to 10 percent on your heating costs per year by setting your thermostat 7 degrees to 10 degrees lower for eight hours a day, says Energy.gov. Set it and forget it by using a programmable thermostat. This works especially well if you are at work during the day.
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19 Foods That Eat the Stress Away
19 Foods That Eat the Stress Away
At worst, stress can be a slow killer: It can adversely affect your immune, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and central nervous systems, especially when it is experienced chronically.
Avoiding stress entirely is impossible. Many of the ups and downs of everyday life are simply out of our control.
For many, reaching for comfort foods that are high in sugar or refined carbohydrates during times of stress is instinctual. It is an attempt to self-soothe.
Unfortunately, this approach usually makes the problem worse. You feel guilty for eating “junk food”, which causes more stress. The next thing you know, you are trapped in a vicious cycle of stress and overeating.
But there is a bright side – how we respond to stressful situations IS within our control.
There are many ways you can reduce or manage the stress in your life. Good nutrition is one of them. Believe it or not, there are foods you can eat that have shown to have stress-reducing properties.
Cortisol – your body’s stress hormone
Stressful events (even relatively minor ones) can cause cortisol levels to rise to problematic levels.
Cortisol (a steroid hormone) helps fuel the fight-or-flight response – the psychological loop that fires you up to fight or run for your life when facing danger.
Think of it as your body’s built-in alarm system. When you are faced with immediate danger, increases in cortisol help you respond. The hormone works with certain parts of your brain to control your mood, motivation, and fear.
Cortisol also handles other important bodily tasks, explains WebMD:
- Manages how your body uses carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
- Keeps inflammation down
- Regulates your blood pressure
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5 (More) Foods That Last Forever
5 (More) Foods That Last Forever
When planning and storing food for emergencies or survival situations, we have long advocated incorporating foods that will last forever (or at least longer than you will). By doing so, this does double duty by boosting your emergency supplies. panties, and your bartering power, as well as ensuring you are purchasing foods as frugally as possible.
In The Prepper’s Cookbook, 25 must-have foods were explored in this best-selling book. These 25 foods are the foundation of your prepper pantry and used to make an array of foods. 11 of those 25 foods were what is considered “forever foods.”
Today, we are going to explore five more foods to add to your forever food pantries, and if stored properly, they will last forever. Best of all, many of them will serve multiple purposes beyond human consumption and this could give you a hand up should the SHTF!
5 (More) Forever Foods for Your Prepper Pantry
1. Distilled White Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar is actually not made by distillation at all, but made by the fermentation of the natural sugars found in either grains or fruit. Those sugars are converted to alcohol and the alcohol is then fermented a second time and it turns into vinegar by the production of acetic acid after the fermentation of ethanol, sugars, or acetic acid bacteria. Vinegar typically contains anywhere between 5 and 20% acetic acid by volume and is currently mainly used as a cooking ingredient, or in pickling. The mainstays of the category include white distilled, cider, wine, and malt have now been joined by balsamic, rice, rice wine, raspberry, pineapple, Chardonnay, flavored and seasoned vinegar and more.
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Be Energy Efficient This Winter. This is the Best Wood To Heat Your Home
Be Energy Efficient This Winter. This is the Best Wood To Heat Your Home
Those who choose to heat their home with wood are becoming fewer and fewer. However, with more interested in a self-sustaining lifestyle and going off the grid, those numbers may begin to rise again. If you decided to heat your home with wood, there are simply some types of wood that are better to burn in your home.
There is nothing quite like a roaring fire to stand next to while listening to the crackles and pops on a subzero winter day while there’s a raging snowstorm blowing through. If you live in an area where those days are common in the winter, you probably know the benefits of having a wood burning stove firsthand. The heat is immediate and fills the space quickly as opposed to waiting for propane or electric heat to keep up. It’s also oddly comforting.
When talking about burning wood inside for heat, it is important to first talk about the quality of your wood burning stove. Using wood as the main heat source in your home is not for everyone. It’s actually lifestyle choice. Many summer days will be spent cutting and splitting wood to be used during the winter months and if you choose to buy firewood, the cost may not outweigh the benefits. In my little slice of Wyoming, a cord of wood that is already split and ready to go sell go for as much as $255 per cord for lodgepole pine which is a rather high price compared to many other areas. We use around 5-7 cords per year.
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The Whole Herb: The Most Important Principle of Herbal Medicine
The Whole Herb: The Most Important Principle of Herbal Medicine
The whole herb or food is more effective than any of its parts administered individually or in combination.
What this means is that with all herbs (especially those identified as utilitarian for the human body), there are constituent parts that render the herb effective in one or more “departments,” such as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, and so forth. The constituent utilitarian part of that herb is in balance with all of the other constituent parts/component substances…for that particular plant. The plant is in balance. From a biological perspective and in medical terminology, the plant is maintaining homeostasis…the physiological balance of form and function…with the amounts of component chemicals and substances in it…that are balanced/counterbalanced by other substances.
Let’s take garlic (Allium sativum), for example. Allicin is the substance found in garlic that is productive as an antimicrobial and antibiotic when consumed by humans. That level of allicin in the garlic is also balanced by a host of other chemicals, such as sulfur, for example, in a proportion that maintains homeostasis for the herb. In other words, when you consume the herb, you take in the substance that will benefit you (the allicin) as well as other substances that can be beneficial to you and that also “buffer” the effects of the primary beneficial substance.
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New Study Suggests Glyphosate Can Kill Bees By Damaging Their Microbiomes
New Study Suggests Glyphosate Can Kill Bees By Damaging Their Microbiomes
The research, conducted at The University of Texas at Austin and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on September 24, shows that honey bees exposed to glyphosate lose some of the beneficial bacteria in their guts. This makes the bees more susceptible to infection and death from harmful bacteria.
Scientists believe this is evidence that glyphosate might be contributing to the years-long decline of honey bees and native bees around the world.
In a press release, the researchers explained their findings:
Because glyphosate interferes with an important enzyme found in plants and microorganisms, but not in animals, it has long been assumed to be nontoxic to animals, including humans and bees. But this latest study shows that by altering a bee’s gut microbiome — the ecosystem of bacteria living in the bee’s digestive tract, including those that protect it from harmful bacteria — glyphosate compromises its ability to fight infection.
To conduct the study, the research team took 2,000 honey bees from hives at the University of Texas campus and fed them either a low dose of glyphosate, a high dose, or a glyphosate-free syrup.
It didn’t take long for glyphosate to cause problems for the bees involved in the study: after only three days of exposure at levels known to occur in crop fields, yards, and roadsides, the herbicide significantly reduced healthy gut microbiota. “Of eight dominant species of healthy bacteria in the exposed bees, four were found to be less abundant. The hardest hit bacterial species, Snodgrassella alvi, is a critical microbe that helps bees process food and defends against pathogens,” the researchers reported.
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Reduce Waste: How To Make The Most Of Your Autumn Leaves
Reduce Waste: How To Make The Most Of Your Autumn Leaves
The end of the summer garden is always bittersweet for me. I miss my daily fresh cut lettuce but I also love the falling leaves and bright reds and oranges of autumn. Luckily, those fallen leaves are more than just pleasing to look at. In this helpful guide, we’ll walk you through a few easy ways to use your fallen autumn leaves as zero waste and cheaper options around your place.
One of the best sustainable and organic ways to help prepare your garden is to add a mulch, and the beautiful fallen leaves of autumn are a great way to this. According to Ready Nutrition, in the gardening community, leaves are huge. When they are composted they become known as “black gold,” a nutrient-rich material that can be used in a multitude of ways in the garden.
The life cycle of a leaf begins when a tree makes its leaves in the spring. The tree concentrates all of its energy and nutrients into making the leaves because the more leaves there are, the more photosynthesis can occur. When the leaves drop in autumn, they create a ground cover for the trees to conserve moisture. As the leaves decompose, they provide the tree with nutrients and resupply the depleted soil with microbes. The roots of trees can then absorb the nutrients and minerals via the soil in order to create even more leaves the next spring. It’s a unique life cycle that can be taken advantage of.
To use your leaves as mulch, you’ll want to start by shredding them. If you don’t have a leaf shredder, Gardeners suggests running over them several times with a lawn mower after a good layer has blanketed the ground.
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Can A Home Garden Produce Enough Food To Live On?
Can A Home Garden Produce Enough Food To Live On?
Have you ever wondered why you should start your own garden when food is readily available at grocery stores? What about those who would love to be self-sufficient to the point of living off the food they can grow on their own land? The simple answer is yes, this is possible, but it will take hard work and dedication.
Most Americans firmly believe its impossible to be self-sufficient, and those values are all but permanently engrained into their minds from a young age. Even people who know that organic agriculture is just as productive as industrial agriculture often think you need to have acres and acres of land to grow all of your own food. But that simply is not true. According to the Small Footprint Family, applying certain techniques and principles can get you set on the lifetime journey of potentially being able to grow all your food on as little as a quarter of an acre! Even people in most suburbs could give this a try!
Obviously, how much food you need and can grow will depend on a variety of factors, space being just one of them. You will also need to take into consideration the size of your family and how much food they actually require. A large man will eat quite a bit more than a 5-year-old girl, however, that girl will also grow to consume more. These are a few factors to keep in mind when beginning to consider self-sufficiency. You should also consider the climate in which you live.
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