It could be quite tricky to stay warm during the winter months without incurring high electric or gas bills. Fortunately, there are easy methods to help you stay warm and cozy at home without increasing your utility bill.
Here are 5 simple ways to help stay warm on a budget during the harsh winter days.
Dress in Layers
Keeping warm at home during the cold winter months starts with what you wear indoors, and not just for the outside. Wear comfortable, layered including socks, sweater, flannel pants, jacket, and gloves to insulate your body and help you regulate your body temperature.
Get Moving
While it’s tempting to become less active and sleep more during the cold, moving around and undertaking chores indoors could help you keep warm. You could clean the house, stretch, dance, tackle a home repair, or cook.
Cook With Oven and Stove
Use the oven and stove often to add heat to your home during the colder months. Both generate heat in your kitchen that could keep you warm while you cook. You could even leave your oven open after baking to allow the hot air to escape and add some warmth to the room. However, make sure the oven is out of reach of children and pets.
Opt for Hot Meals
In addition to warming up your home, you can also warm yourself from the inside by opting for hot meals and beverages. A warm cup of soup, coffee, cider, tea, or cocoa will do you a lot of good on cold days. While the fluid warms up your gut, wrapping your palms around the hot mug will also help you heat up your cold hands.
Check the Roof and Chimney
Check your roof for any loose or missing shingles, and replace or repair as needed. This will keep cold air out of your home. Similarly, have a professional clean out your chimney this fall, to make your chimney more efficient, and prevent a potential fire outbreak due to creosote build-up.
Don’t forget to keep your feet warm by donning a pair of ultra-warm wool stocks indoors; install heavy draperies; and use rugs on bedroom floors during winter.
Also called L-ascorbic acid, vitamin C is one nutrient that gets special attention because of its immune-boosting benefits. In fact, experts call vitamin C one of the safest and most effective nutrients.
Known to reduce the severity of the common cold, vitamin C is an effective antioxidant the body cannot naturally produce. It is present in various foods and colorful citrus fruits, such as oranges, grapefruit, red and green bell peppers, strawberries, kiwi, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, green peas, and other green, leafy vegetables.
Let’s highlight some essential benefits of adding more vitamin C to your food.
Boosts the Immune System
Vitamin C’s best-known benefit is its positive impact on the immune system. Various studies have confirmed that vitamin C protects against oxidative stress, helps to recover more quickly from the common cold, and decreases the likelihood of tissue damage. Also, vitamin C could prevent cardiovascular diseases and eye diseases.
Prevents Colds
Although vitamin C is not a cure for the common cold, some researchers conclude that it may help reduce the risk of developing more serious complications, such as pneumonia and lung infections.
Slows Aging
Vitamin C’s antioxidant properties are especially beneficial when it comes to aging. A study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that higher vitamin C consumption could reduce the appearance of wrinkles and dry skin.
To get more vitamin C during the day, you can eat fruits and vegetables, but you may also try Liposomal Vitamin C from CoreMedScience. Liposomal vitamin C is the nutrient vitamin C that has been encapsulated in fat molecules. This makes the vitamin C more absorbable and may help to protect it from stomach acid or other potentially dangerous found in the stomach.
How much vitamin C do we need per day? According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), adult men need 90 milligrams (mg) of ascorbic acid per day, and adult women need 75 mg daily. The tolerable upper intake level (or the maximum amount you can take in a day that likely won’t cause harm) is 2000 mg a day for adults.
