#coldweatherpreparedness wintersurvival winteremergencypreparedness

[waysoftheearth]

Cold weather advice

-19 degrees F last night!!! The yurt stays warmer than outside with the woodstove out for overnight. But at these temperatures it was only 22 inside this morning. Some wonder why you'd choose to live this way, but you are always learning and experiencing something interesting. I've learned many strategies for the cold, and because my temperature is not regulated like in a house, my body is more adaptable. No, it has not been comfortable this morning, but I am very much in tune with the reality of life here. When it’s cold inside, layering clothing is critical. More important that your pants and shirts though is your head. Wearing a warm hat is critical to maintaining body heat. I actually wear two hats and sometimes stuff the layer between to ensure I’m not losing heat through the top of my head. When I sleep, in addition to the hat, I drape a wool blanket over my head and shoulders to keep the heat in. Using blankets on laps and shoulders can also make the room more comfortable. Layering socks helps keep the feet warmer too. The extremities are the first to lose heat and sometimes the best thing you can do to warm them up is to move- even if you can’t go anywhere, just walking around, dancing or jumping helps move the warmer blood to the extremities. These are just a few tips. For great information on winter preparedness, I recommend Tom Brown Jr.’s book, Field Guide to City and Suburban Survival. It has great information for dealing with winter emergencies.

This also prompts me to share a reminder about emergency foods from getting snowed in a few years ago. I was talking with a friend yesterday and we discussed emergency foods. Not only is it critical to have emergency food and water on hand, but in cold weather, what you have is also critically important. My friend has mostly dried foods- legumes, rice, quinoa... but she doesn't have fats. When your body is working hard to stay warm, the fats are essential. So make sure you have oils, peanut/or other nut butters, ghee, butter or any kind of fat. And those things that many don't choose for daily living like power type bars with sugars and fats are also good. Sugars can provide quick energy for your body so having honey or other real sugar items can be important too. The dried foods are great and having dried or canned veggies is good for nutrition, but add the fats to whatever you prepare. Also, take care with the soups you have for emergency food. Many are quite low calorie. Buy the creamed soups or others with higher fat to have on hand and things like canned chili are good for the same reason. So think strategically when you buy emergency foods!