Feeling Chilled? Warm Your Core

Are you warm-blooded or cold-blooded? My friend asked me that question and I had to stop and think a minute. For, aren’t humans all the same inside? We all tend to run about the same temperature of 98.6, right. So it must be just a matter of perception, perhaps better asked, Do you tend to feel warm or cold in most situations?

     There’s no doubt about it, I feel cold. Not all the time, but I have noticed that when my friends and family are in shirtsleeves, I have at least three layers on. When they have to double up on shirt and sweater, I’m up to about five layers! Before I begin to look like the muffin doughboy, I thought, maybe I should find another solution.

     I don’t want to reach for the thermostat or throw a bunch more logs in the woodstove. Number one, it would make the house too warm for others. Number two that would be energy intensive and thus wasteful. Recently, I have been trying out a new solution.

     My work as an artist and writer means that I either sit or stand for long periods of time. That’s usually when I get cold—call it cold blooded, if you will. I noticed that my friend J is a speedy, high-energy person. When she moves, she moves quickly--fast paced, always on the go. She might call herself warm blooded. So here’s the solution that I have discovered.

     Whenever I start to feel cold, I stand up and exercise for about 15 minutes. Sometimes its a brisk walk around the office, sometimes I just go through pacing or dancing in place, standing behind my chair. After about 10 minutes, I am warm through. The funny thing is, that once I get to the 10-minute mark, I find it easy to go on to 15 or 20 minutes. This is great because for good aerobic benefits 20 minutes is ideal. To be kind to myself on those “down” days, I’ll let it slide at 10 minutes.

     Warming up by moving is fantastic on many levels. First off, the warmth that I feel is lasting. I won’t feel cold again quickly after my 10-15 minutes of movement. The warmth radiates from the core, not from the outside. Simply putting on another sweater doesn’t do the same thing. Second, it brings health benefits. Exercise is good for you; we all know that. Even short periods of exercise are much better than sitting or standing motionless for hours. Another thing I’ve found is that it builds my energy levels. Although I may never run around and move as quickly as J, I know that I have more energy after the brief exercises. Also, there is definitely a boost to my concentration and focus, as well as my creativity. These are all good things, simply accomplished, and this winter—I am sooo much more comfortable.
Please stop by my website to see some of my tips about fitness and exercise in a balanced life.

Tilting Windmills in Iowa

Driving through Iowa, I have always loved the rolling hills of corn in long rows through the fields. It's been a few years since I've driven through on I-80, but this year as I was appreciating the beauty of small farms and their trees nestled in between the hills of corn, I came upon a new sight. As I dipped down and then up, I saw something strange poking up off in the distance. It was rotating windmill blades. First one, then another,  then a whole cornfield full of them extending off into the distance. Wow! As I rolled up and down the hills, the turbines would rise into and out of sight. I found they had a unique kind of beauty to them. 

     I asked a resident Iowan about how much wind they get. He said, "It never stops blowing here." The wind energy turbines are a great way to put that wind to use! The farmers benefit from leasing small parts of their land. The energy consumers pay less for power. Wind energy is cleaner than fossil fuel energy and emits much less greenhouse gases. Iowa is only one of several states that are building up their grid with clean wind power. And it is the first state to get over 25 percent of its energy from wind. There are many more benefits to making and using wind energy. It's still a big experiment as to how much wind energy will serve to cut down reliance on foreign energy sources. It will be interesting to watch how wind power develops over the years as an alternative energy source.