Cold....at last!

That makes me sound so 'bah humbug' about the recent warmer temperatures, but let's be honest and appreciate we can't go a whole winter in the UK without having cold toes!

There are tips and hints everywhere about getting your toes warm, once they have already been exposed to the cold.  The trick though is don't let them get cold in the first place!  Of course, it's not always that simple if you have poor circulation for example.

1. Don't let your feet get wet....everyday shoes and trainers will not keep you dry if you start jumping in puddles.
2. Don't let you feet get too hot...they'll start to sweat and then cool and then you'll feel cold.

Poor circulation should be investigated by a health professional.  It can be a sign of hypertension, hardening of the arteries or varicose veins.  None of these should be self diagnosed and self treated!!

Time to go rummaging for some thermal tips...so see you soon!

Blip.....Slippers - my Grandma was always telling me to wear slippers, even in the Summer.  It sounds a bit mad, but she was right!

Socks with a tog rating...

Who would have thought that socks could have a tog rating.  On those chilly winter mornings, we can all have moments where we pine for our lovely cosy, warm duvets. My solution.....Heat Holder socks with a tog rating of 2.3.  It's not the same as being completely enveloped in a duvet, but if you get cold feet you know how it just affects you all over.

There are so many things to say about thermal properties of socks, so for now let's look at the tog rating.  Most of understand the higher the number, the better the warmth, but why aren't all thermal socks able to do the same thing as Heat Holders? Whilst there are varying standards and qualities to thermal socks, an average sock can rate approximately 0.89 as a tog rating.

The tog rating is given based on how much warm air is held in the fabric.  A loosely knitted product, with a short pile is not going to achieve as well as one which has a longer pile or bulkier yarn.

• Heat Holders have an extra heavy bulk yarn - which boosts the thermal qualities but doesn't make the sock heavy to wear or to move around in.
• Long pile cushioning makes the socks comfortable and adds to the thermal tog rating.
• Finally, the inside of each sock has been brushed so that even more warn air can be trapped by the yarn for longer. 

My office has a very cold floor, which even through boots sometimes leaves me chilly, so the Heat Holders are off to the office today, for some more road testing. I'll report back later!

Blip....the tog rating scales was developed by the Shirley Institute in Manchester in the 1940's.

http://heatholders.co.uk/

South Pole success for Amelia

Many congratulations to Amelia Hempleman, who at just 16 years of age, is the youngest person to ski to the South Pole.  From 26 November to today, 9 December, Amelia and her father David Hempleman-Adams skied 97 miles on the ice.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2071985/British-schoolgirl-Amelia-Hempleman-Adams-16-youngest-person-ski-South-Pole.html

Blip....Amelia spent time in her local Iceland's deep freeze storage to acclimatise to the temperatures!

Graded thermals

How cold is cold??  Well just to be sure you're fully prepared, check out the thermal grades with Damart.  Watching BBC Frozen Planet, it looks sunny and absolutely stunning, but the crew must have been prepared with maximum grade warmth!

http://www.damart.co.uk/thermal-c-25.html

blip....many thin layers give you freedom :)

Top to toe

This weekend is looking like it's going to be a chilly one....and for those of us on the side line of a sports field somewhere, that damp and cold ground moves right up through your boots, doesn't it?!  Once your feet get cold, it seems to travel up your legs and leaves you with that feeling that you are actually never, ever going to warm up......EVER!

Well thermal socks are a must, but what about thermal insoles.....heaven!!  These ones I found provide warmth and cushioning.  Do you think I could get slippers in the same finish?

Blip....Dry feet = warm feet

http://www.newforestfootwear.com/listing-thermal-insoles-248.html

Good grief...

Where has that wind come from?!  Having had such a mild few weeks, it's a shock to the system. No wonder everyone has gone mad buying thermals.  But what can you buy in 'thermal' these days....

Blip....elasticated cuffs, or straps on your sleeves stop the wind getting inside!

http://www.gilderscountrysports.co.uk/view_category.php?category=30

Why a blog on thermals? Surely that's just pants?....

Sitting in my mid temperature dining room in early December, it starts to hail.  Not that unusual, except we are leaving a particularly warm Autumn/early Winter here in the UK.  Some days even a coat hasn't been required, although I did pop my sandals away in October.
That hail makes me feel colder....I know, 'all in the mind', but nevertheless gets me thinking about either turning up the heating or putting on another layer.  Then, not by co-incidence some may say, I read an article online about the dramatic increase in thermal sales due to the sudden drop in temperature.
Which got me thinking....how I can find out more about what I can get that's thermal?  And so the thermal journal is all down to a few hail stones.
I want the journal to take us far and wide, back in time to those days where we imagine thermal was just 'long johns' and looking forward to new technologies in thermal for the consumer.
My blip...(end of blog tip) On hard floors; wear slippers or socks and don't pop outside in them!!