Dressing Warm for Winter
Prevent Jack Frost from giving you the cold shoulder by retaining body heat better.
The first blast of winter can make anyone wish for warmer mittens or a plane ticket to Tahiti. It’s no secret that keeping limbs warm outdoors in winter is an important part of preventing joint pain and remaining mobile. As Kevin Stone, MD, chairman of the Stone Foundation for Sports Medicine and Arthritis Research in San Francisco, sums it up: “Warm tissues are elastic. Cold tissues are stiff.”
But what’s the best way to retain body heat outdoors? Experts recommend wearing several layers of thin, breathable, non-absorbent clothing, instead of tossing on one heavy jacket. Multiple layers of clothing help trap multiple layers of warm air, resulting in greater body heat retention. Less-absorbent, thinner layers, like silk or merino wool, actually keep you warmer than thicker forms of cotton.
Try these age-old and innovative materials to ward off chills:
Try Silk.
It’s tightly woven, but breathable, making it a good insulator. Silk works best as a base layer against your skin.
Try Down.
What’s good for the goose, well, you know the rest. Down is perhaps nature’s best insulator. It will keep you warmer than most man-made materials.
Try Wool.
For centuries, wool has been used as an insulator, providing warmth even when wet. But wool often meant a hefty layer. Not anymore. Wools are now blended with other textiles, like polyester, which makes them less bulky, less scratchy, more flexible and able to pull moisture away from your body so it keeps you warm, but not too warm.
Try Fleece.
Fleece is man mimicking Mother Nature: It has wool’s water repellent properties and down’s softness.
Read tips on how to Dress for Success
