As many of us know, the weather at Gustavus is appealing right up until the fall. As the metaphorical clock strikes midnight, our warm carriage of summer becomes a wintery pumpkin that brings with it exceedingly blustery winds and bone chillingly cold.
Weather on campus can be so unpleasant in the winter months that certain places earn nicknames like “the Tundra,” the trek from Co-ed to the Caf.
Ours is a world where we face increasingly irregular and extreme weather due to climate change. We need to be better equipped and prepared to live and work in more extreme weather conditions.
There is no such thing as poor weather, only poor preparation. No matter what, winter in Minnesota will always be cold, but there are a lot of things that you can do to stay warm this winter.
The stereotypical idea of being prepared for the cold is to pile on layers and layers of clothing like Randy from A Christmas Story. Contrary to popular belief, quantity does not replace quality in the heating department.
To put this in perspective, if you wear cotton socks, no matter how comfortable, if you expect it to warm you efficiently, you are wrong. Simpy put, cotton is rotten when it comes to staying warm.
Even if you pile on as much cotton clothing as you can, it is still an extremely poor insulator. It’s much better replaced by wool, either conventional or synthetic. They are not only better insulators, but will also warm you when they get wet, unlike cotton.
If you drink a nice cup of hot coffee thinking it will warm you up in the cold you’re both correct and incorrect. Although it might warm you up temporarily, coffee causes your capillaries to contract, which makes you colder in the long run.
If you want a warm liquid to drink before heading out in the cold much better alternatives are herbal teas or hot chocolate. They’ll warm you up without making you more susceptible to the cold.
Along with winter comes Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, a condition where the lack of sunlight in the long winter months leads to a form of seasonal depression. There are sunlight stations in the library to treat this. And don’t forget that keeping a positive mental attitude can also help keep warm and keep your mind off the cold!
With only a few minor lifestyle changes winter can be a little more bearable.
-David Roland