Bundle Up!

Welcome to the full front of winter, everyone! Regardless of where you're spending the next few icy months, you've probably begun to notice some severe symptoms of sniffly winter. Depending on your location, possible symptoms include: virulent outbreaks of sniffilus (a serious case of the sniffles, easily contagious), a seven-hour stretch of time between sunrise and sunset, a surplus of hot chocolate, tea, and coffee invitations, the arrival of indoor sports seasons, peppermint everything in coffee shops, little ponds of ice water on your window sills, etc. In some regions, the arrival of winter could simply mean you wear a t shirt instead of a tank top with your short-shorts (Yes, Hawaii, I'm talking to you!). For those of you holing up in Polar Vortex-ridden areas, here are some tips for staying snuggly-warm in the windy icebox we call winter.*

*Please Note: during the worst of what was called the Polar Vortex, the Chicago area, with windchill of negative 45 degrees, was deemed too cold for the polar bears. The zoo put the polar bears inside to protect them!

If this is you, please read on.

Zip Up Early
Before braving the beastly weather, spend a quality 2-5 minute-- entirely bundled and zipped--indoors to up the initial temperature of the inside of your coat before cooling off outside.

Invest in Accessories
Supplement your parka with the added coverage and insulation of hats, ear muffs, scarves, gloves, and leg warmers. A little extra fluff goes a long way and traps in valuable extra heat.

Improve Your Shower Skillz
Serious--this one is huge! Shut the door and steam up the bathroom before even contemplating removing your pants. Wait until it's more comfortable outside your winter furs than inside them, and hop on it! AFter showering, dry, moisturize, and re-robe like a speed demon ASAP. Post-shower slippers or socks are MANDATORY; don't let all your newly acquired heat pour out your feet onto the cold floor.

Style Your Scarf
Everyone has a different hair situation, and depending on whether you have a shiny bald head or a forest of crazy hairs up there, you need to wrap your scarf differently. If you have hair, putting your scarf under it tends to help; if you're hairless, cover the vulnerable space between the end of your hat (which you are wearing!) and your collar with the scarf. THIS IS YOUR HAIR SUPPLEMENT. You will thank me later for this no matter what the mirror says!

Those Legs
Ask any athlete who wears cutoff running pants (like tight capris) what they hate about winter, and they will say "The two inches of freezing cold on my legs!" What they mean by this comment is that the two-inch space between their sock line and the bottom of their capris gets absolutely massacred by the cold and wind every time they venture outdoors. The solution? Um, sweat pants, anyone? If that's not your style, slip on leg warmers before and after working out to fill in the gaps between heat and heat.

If you're still freezing cold after all these auxiliary tips (auxiliary meaning you ought to already own a parka and smart cold weather shoes), comment for more ideas to keep you hot as ever in the coolest of places ;) .