No, I’m not referring to “frosted” tips, as in what some may have done to their hair back in the 1990’s. I’m referring to frost, as in the icy shit that makes it impossible to see through my windshield in the morning. We’ve started to reach that time of year where, in Saskatchewan at least, the temperatures are starting to consistently drop, the weather is getting cold and Mother Nature is getting ready to dump a pile of white shit in our laps. That’s right, whether we Ike it or not, winter is coming!
If you can’t tell from the sarcasm, I’m not a big fan of winter. I enjoy there autumn just fine. Cool enough that I’m not sweating bullets constantly but warm enough that I don’t have to shovel snow. But once the weather requires maintenance on my part in order to get on with my day, I quickly lose interest. Winter wonderland, my ass! But I digress… By virtue of how long I’ve been writing this blog and given that winter keeps coming around, I’m once again writing about certain health tips that people tend to neglect or forget during the winter months.
While there isn’t quite snow on the ground yet, it’s important to remember that colder temperatures can have some adverse effects on one’s body. First and foremost, one needs to recognize the importance of dressing in layers. I’m sure everyone has heard this a lot but what does it actually mean? Realistically, it’s more than just piling on several. Layers of clothing to ensure you’re warm. In fact, if you layer up improperly, you can end up just as cold and maybe open yourself up to sickness.
Here’s the basic rule of thumb.You should have a moisture wicking layer against your skin. Think under armour or something similar. This allows any warmth-related perspiration to be wicked away from the body. Otherwise, the evaporation of that sweat will cause cooling and your core temp will drop, which could lead to conditions like hypothermia. The next layer should be your insulating layer. This is where you could use your cotton or other insulating materials. And your outer layer would of course be your coat, jacket or similar garment that will block wind, rain and over all cold.
A pair of gloves is always recommended. Extended periods outdoors would be better served by insulated mitts, since the huddling of your fingers will help maintain warmth. But at the very least, gloves. There’s nothing that sucks worse than scarping windows with bare hands. And since I mentioned hypothermia in the previous paragraph, I should touch on the difference between that and frostbite. Hypothermia is basically the dropping of your body’s core temperature to the point where it can’t sustain itself. Frostbite is exposure to cold that causes ice to form in the tissues. That’s an over-simplification, of course, but the difference is basically one happens on the outside and one happens within. Moving on…
Next is the sun. It always amazes me how people tend to forget that the sun’s rays cause the same damage at 30 degrees than at -30 degrees. If outside in the sun during the cold months, remember to wear sunglasses and apply sunscreen to any exposed skin if you’ll be out for prolonged periods. Nothing is more embarrassing than getting a sunburn in the winter but it can happen. Ironically, you actually NEED some sunlight. Exposure to sunlight promotes the creation of Vitamin D in the body. During the winter months, people tend to spend increased time indoors and out of reach h of natural light. So, while one needs other protect oneself from the harmful effects of the sun, it needs to be counterbalanced with some time outdoors to ensure proper Vitamin D levels.
And the last point I’ll touch on of course, is the Diabetic aspect. I don’t need to tell any of my readers who have Type-1 Diabetes that just about everything affects blood sugar levels. Periods of time in the cold weather, at least for me, will increase the effects of any activity or exercise I may be doing. For example, my blood sugar will drop just as drastically for ten minutes of snow shovelling as it would for an hour of weightlifting. So it’s extremely important to monitor your blood sugar, keep some fast-acting carbs on you at all times and be cognizant of how your blood sugars respond to the weather.
That’s it! There’s no getting away from the winter weather, unless you live in a tropical area but I’ll confess I’d take snow over hurricanes and floods any day. Take good precautions, stay hydrated and hopefully we can all get through this thing called winter in one piece. Food for thought…☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 