"Frost and sun, a wonderful day" — wrote the classic, sitting in the warmth :) If you decide to go for a walk in the cold season, here are some simple but vital rules to avoid catching a cold in winter and get the most positive impressions from winter walks.
This rule, by the way, applies not only to adults, but also to children. Caring grandparents who grew up at a time when there were no thermal underwear, light down jackets and special winter clothes and shoes for tourists and athletes, firmly believe that in winter a person (adult or not) should resemble a cabbage: a hundred clothes, a maximum of fasteners, a scarf over a jacket covering the nose and mouth (which, by the way, is incorrect: exhaled steam immediately condenses on the nostrils and face, wet skin gets cold – and a cold is ready). Winter clothes should be warm, but light and not constricting your movements. If your child or you yourself will resemble a knight clad in armor, who needs outside help to turn or bend over, then you will only freeze more quickly.
Both the headdress and shoes should not get wet from the snow, should protect from the frosty wind, do not accumulate static electricity, which only tires the body, but does not give heat (and besides, it begins to seem as if your "skin itches" from such materials, which accumulate a large amount during friction and prolonged wear electrostatics). The sole of the shoe should be stitched and thick enough to provide you with less contact between the sole of the foot and cold snow and earth.
If it is not possible to insulate yourself with natural materials or special clothing for extreme athletes, truckers or tourists, "layering" can become a compromise. Several different types of clothing worn on top of each other create additional air layers that prevent your body from cooling down in the cold.
If you have a long road in the cold, sports or jogging in the open winter air – be sure to choose the right thermal underwear. Also remember that even if the top of your clothes is made of synthetic materials, the lining and filling must be at least 80% natural. Otherwise, even with active movement, you will freeze quite quickly.
No matter how beautiful a synthetic scarf is, no matter how bright a synthetic jacket or gloves are, they will not warm you in a real frost. Genuine leather, sheepskin, natural fur, natural wool, flannelette fabric, cotton, cotton denim (and not stretch, in which more than half is a synthetic polymer base) are the materials that really warm and protect in the cold. The only compromise is special thermal fabrics and linings for down jackets and insoles with a heat–reflecting effect.
Do not stand in one place like an enchanted one: even walking warms you better than contemplating winter beauties, shifting from one foot to the other. If you are at an open–air concert, New Year's celebrations or other places of mass gathering of people in the open air - do not forget that periodically you still need to walk, jump, move, and not just stand in the crowd and stare around.
If you feel that you are suffocating or have lost your breath, it is better to stop for a while, walk slowly in one place. But do not breathe through your mouth: cold air, without having time to warm up, gets straight into your trachea, bronchi and the tops of the lungs. Catching tracheitis, bronchitis and pneumonia in the cold is a simple matter if you breathe incorrectly. This is especially true for those fans who are engaged in winter running, skiing, snowboarding or other active winter sports.
Quickly squeeze and unclench the hand into a fist, first one, then the other, then both together. And so 20-30 times at intervals. Next, we take a "step on the spot", rolling the foot from heel to toe, but without lifting it off the ground and at the same time trying to put a load on the shins and calves. You also do it 20-30 times with intervals between approaches. Your arms and legs work like a pump pumping blood between your limbs, heart and body. Blood circulation and a rush of blood to all parts of the body is a way to warm up if you are frozen, and there are no warm rooms and a campfire nearby.
Frost does not spare the skin of lovers of winter walks. Even harsh men who "don't dance" are not ashamed to use special hygienic protective cosmetics. This will protect you from frostbite, flaky skin and cracked lips. This is especially important for those who are going on a winter expedition or a hike for a few days.
The most dangerous misconception is that you can "warm up" with 50-100 grams of alcoholic beverages if you feel that you are frozen. Even if we consider the healing properties of vodka, whiskey and wine, it is better to practice them after a person enters a warm room. In the cold, an already frozen person who is gradually tired and has lost his initial mobility and the level of pressure in the circulatory system, under the influence of alcohol, tends to move even slower, or even feel drowsy (the latter is generally deadly). In addition, under the influence of alcohol, winter amateur athletes are often drawn to feats. Breaking an arm or leg, breaking a neck or getting an open wound, falling from a height or falling into a snowdrift with branches, tripping on a walk or knocking over something is not the best solution. Alcohol in the frosty time outdoors is not your friend, but your worst enemy. Leave glasses, shot glasses and the consumption of strong drinks until you get into the heat.
