Tom's blog

Keep your feet warm in winter

Posted on 18. Jan, 2010 by Tom Greenwald in Clothing for sports, Running and jogging

Many people use winter and cold weather as an excuse to skip their usual outdoor activities such as running and jogging. I agree that cold weather can be an issue but it’s nothing you should be afraid of. For me, keeping my feet warm is the biggest challenge if I want to train in really cold weather. By really cold I mean 14° F (-10°C) and colder. However, I wouldn’t call myself an average person when it comes to feeling cold. My capillary blood vessels are narrower than they normally should be. Of course, that influences my body and how it responds to cold weather.

Winter in Latvia.

It’s a lot easier to keep hands, nose and ears warm because you can rub them or heat them with your breath. Keeping feet warm is a bit more complicated. Take care of your feet. If you don’t feel your toes anymore go indoors immediately. If you ignore that you can easily get a frost bite and even lose your toes. To avoid these kinds of problems I have written down a list of tips to take in account when enjoying outdoor activities in winter.

1. Make sure your feet are warm before you go outside. The easiest option is to perform a warm-up routine while you are still indoors. It will warm up your muscles and improve blood circulation. But remember – you have to start your outdoors workout right after the warm up while your body is still warm. If you wait and let your body to cool down there will be no positive effect. If you can’t or don’t want to perform a warm-up routine another option is to warm up your feet by putting them in a bowl of warm water. You can also rub your bare feet with your hands to expand capillaries and improve blood flow.

2. Buy a pair of good socks. I use regular socks, but my mother is ecstatic about alpine skiing socks. They are quite long and made from a material that retains heat and absorbs moisture very well. Of course, you can simply put two pairs of regular socks on, but make sure that you have plenty of space in your footwear otherwise you will restrict blood flow and have the opposite effect.

3. Buy electrically heated insoles for your shoes. They are mostly used by people who work in extremely cold weather conditions. For example, mountain climbers, mountain rescue team members etc. They are affordable and you can read more about them on Therm-ic web page.

Electrically heated insoles.

4. Keep your legs warm. Warm socks won’t help if you don’t protect your legs and ankles from the cold weather. Make sure you wear warm underwear. It will not only help to keep your legs and feet warm, but also it will protect your knee joints. Cold weather and exposed knee joints can lead to serious health problems. People who already have arthritis should be even more careful. Also make sure that your ankles are well covered. Cover the top of your socks with warm underwear so that there are no exposed areas of skin.

5. Use old newspapers in case of emergency. When I was little my grandfather used to wrap a newspaper around my feet before I put my boots on. It helps to keep the feet warm, because paper retains heat and absorbs moisture. You can use old newspapers if you have no other options available. I have also heard that some Nordic skiers put newspaper in their pants to protect their manhood from the cold winds.

6. Most importantly – buy appropriate footwear. Even if you follow the aforementioned tips carefully they will have no effect if you don’t use appropriate footwear. Special designed winter running shoes or hiking boots is a must-have if you want to fully enjoy winter activities.

That’s it. These are my top picks how to keep my feet warm. Dress according to the weather conditions so that you can enjoy your hobbies and other outdoor activities whether it’s summer or winter.