3 Tips for Staying Warm While Working Outdoors This Winter

sustainablelivingreport | January 3, 2019 | Homesteading & Off-Grid Living

As the bitter cold of winter settles in, make sure you have ways to stay warm while working outdoors on your homestead…

Winter can be one of the toughest parts of the year on a homestead, especially if you live somewhere with harsh winters. Staying warm while working outdoors in the cold can be a challenge, but it is a necessity on most homesteads, whether you are tending livestock, hauling firewood, or tending to a greenhouse or even a winter garden.

Below are a few handy tips from Marjorie over at The Grow Network for staying warm during your outdoor winter homestead chores:

Cold-Busting Tip #1: Wrap Your Neck!

Your neck radiates more heat than any other area of the body. The head and feet are next on the list. However, your neck is the most important area to keep warm while working outdoors. In my backpack.., I keep a neck wrap or scarf. I’ve used it more times than I can count to stay warm during an unexpected cold front.

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Cold-Busting Tip #2: Stay Hydrated!

For some reason, it seems harder to stay hydrated and drink enough fluids when it is cold outside. Of the many signs of dehydration, getting a bit chilled is usually one of the first to appear. Some other signs may be dry lips, dizziness when standing, and slower mental function. I find that making a quart of warm tea to sip on throughout the day helps me to drink more fluid. By using a quart-sized mason jar, I am easily able to keep track of how much I am drinking during the day.

I find that tea helps to keep my body hydrated better than just drinking straight water…

Cold-Busting Tip #3: Prepare a Warm Space for Your Return

…It is a lot easier to go out and brave the cold if you have a warm place to come back to. It doesn’t have to be a large room or even the whole house. But knowing that when you come back inside there will be somewhere warm gives you a psychological boost…

Before you dress up and head out, throw a few logs on the fire and set the flue so you’ll have a warm spot waiting for you. If you are not heating with wood, perhaps you might run a tiny heater in a small room to have a “warm area” to return to.

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