Cold Hands, Cold Feet

It is reported that February is the coldest month in the UK and it is Raynaud’s Awareness Month.

Their aim is to highlight the problems associated with Raynaud’s that are estimated to affect over 10 million people in the UK – that is 1 in 6.

You can read more and how it can affect anyone including young children – http://www.raynauds.org.uk

Up to 20% of the worldwide population suffer with Raynaud’s, which is a condition that affects the blood supply to certain parts of the body, mainly hands, feet, fingers and toes. People with Raynaud’s also experience tingling, numbness and pain, which can last from seconds to hours.

They are saying that this condition has a real impact on daily life and everyday activities and there is no cure.

Many people suffer with cold hands and cold feet and just put up with it. You feel miserable and moaning about it changes nothing.

Just Google it and the Internet doctor says it means nothing as it is not a medical condition so it cannot be treated with anything.

This confirms – put up with it.

Having suffered with cold hands and cold feet for over 40 years and no amount of wearing woolly gloves and socks made any difference. I knew it had something to do with my blood vessels but with nothing out there offering me any relief, I just put up with it like everyone else.

Are our cold hands and feet telling us something about the way we are choosing to live?

• Could it be possible that the way we are living has something to do with it?

• Could it be possible that our daily choices of how we live are not supporting our body?

• Could it be possible that our immune system is not working at optimum level?

• Could it be possible that our lack of sleep has something to do with this problem?

• Could it be possible that our food choices are adding to this issue?

• Could it be possible that we are not truly keeping our body warm, as it needs to be?

• Could it be possible that simple lifestyle changes could turn our cold hands and feet into warm toasty fingers and toes forever?

Well in my case it worked, after I applied some common sense medicine like –

• Waking up and drinking hot water every day, even in the summer
• Cutting out gluten and dairy from my diet
• Eating hot soup most days
• Going to bed early every day
• Going for a walk most days but not in the snow
• Wearing layers always, not concerned about fashion
• Hat on and not worried about what others might think
• Gloves on even for a short distance
• Being sensible about wrapping up – so if the sun was shining but the weather was actually 6 degrees, I made sure I was wrapped up well

I know going to bed early every single day has helped to build my immune system and then making sensible choices to deeply take care of my body was easy and not hard work.

It is hard to believe that I have super warm hands and feet now and I wonder if I did have Raynauds’ but with no awareness that there was such a thing, I just accepted it.

Could it be possible that if we started paying close attention to our body and applying some ‘common sense medicine’ we could benefit in the long term and that means happy hands and toasty toes forever?

Possible?

 

Raynaud’s Awareness Month – #loveyourgloves

 

 

 

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Comments 48

  1. I love this blog and it was very timely as I was just contemplating how I used to have cold hands and feet all the time for years and years but haven’t as much in the past year.

    As you write in this blog, Bina, I definitely ‘got used to it’, or more truthfully became numb to it as most of the time I would not notice the ice cubes attached to my appendages. But there came a time when I did start to notice it again and the more I did, the more uncomfortable it was, until one day I decided enough was enough. I started dressing in layers more often, drinking hot water every day – no more ice in my water at all, turning up the heat in our house in the winter, eating hot foods more often. It made a huge difference and I no longer put up with cold hands and feet.

    It may seem like a small thing, but it’s definitely a sign of how well we take care of our bodies in general.

  2. Great comment Julie and the fact you done something when things got uncomfortable says a lot really. I agree just small things can make such a big difference and this wearing layers business is super important. In UK yesterday morning we had -3 degrees first thing but the sun was shining. You would be surprised what people were wearing at the train station on their way to work. Whilst I understand that they have super warm offices, we cannot ignore the fact that the trains are delayed more often than not, which means extra time on the station platform. Just this 10 mins of freezing cold conditions means our body has to deal with our choice of not dressing appropriately.
    If we are not bothering to dress to support our body, what other choices are we making that are equally not supporting our body?

    1. Great question Bina,
      “If we are not bothering to dress to support our body, what other choices are we making that are equally not supporting our body?”

      I have been deeply inspired by the vitality, purpose and sparkle with which you live your life Bina and your solid commitment to self care has had me asking myself questions like this one. And the honesty that has come from that asking has helped me to change my life.

      1. Thank you Jo for confirming my ‘solid commitment to self care’. So that to me makes sense why it is easy for me to write about self care as I live a certain quality everyday without compromise. What that means for this particular blog topic is feeling cold is addressed. I never ignore it and it would be unthinkeable not to wear layers or take gloves out on a cold day.
        Double socks is my normal and those who know me will tell you as many laugh at me and I don’t care. Imagine suffering for all those years to where I am today sharing about how it could be possible that lifestyle changes is all we actually need to deal with some of these things in our life that make us miserable. Lets face it when we feel cold, we cannot relax as our body is tense and hard from the cold.

  3. I understand what you are saying here Bina. Even if someone is given a medical diagnosis for cold hands and cold feet it won’t necessarily make a difference if the internal factors about the way that we are living are left unaddressed.

    1. Correct Shevon this is the point. We get the medical diagnosis and then take the advice, pill, surgery or whatever action is needed to get rid of the ‘ill’ so to speak. What is missing is taking a stop and pause moment and actually asking “could it be possible that how I am living, maybe contributing to this ‘ill’ which is a ‘dis-ease’ in my body?”
      I feel it is only when we make that stop and ask the question can we really get underneath and at least begin the ball rolling in the right direction. At this time what is needed is a big fat dose of honesty. Nothing like real raw uncut honesty to get things moving.

  4. I love that you have warm hands and feet now. A true testament that when we make changes to the way we are living things change in our body – and that the symptoms we get e.g. cold hands are our body telling us something. I know if I get cold feet now, unless I have been careless and not put warm footwear/socks on, that my circulation is affected and that I need to look at the way I am living and the way I am moving. They soon warm up when I make changes.

    1. Your comment just reminded me Jane of how miserable I was with my cold hands and cold feet and putting up with it was the only choice I thought I had and how wrong I was.
      The thing is I never ever get cold hands or cold feet now as I have really and truly got to grips with making sure I always wear layers and have my hat and gloves with me.
      Wearing two pairs of socks has been my normal for almost a decade now and I recall a friend laughing at me in the summer as I had tights on. I didn’t care, it is what it is and it works for me. I feel the cold more than others at times and I never use the temperature or a date on a calendar to tell me the weather that is inside my body. I know how to take deep care of my body and keeping warm is my normal.

      1. I had no idea until I read this blog that I may have Raynaud’s syndrome and by the definition I had it full tilt. It got so bad that often the only thing that would warm me was a hot water soak; it seemed pointless to put 3 pairs of wooly sox on ice cube feet; at that point it did not help… and so I often ignored it. For the past few years I have been developing a consistency of self care as offered by the role model I chose, Bina Pattel, and this has not only reversed my depression, pulled me out of poverty and given me my life back but my hands and feet do not go cold as often nor for as long. I do feel it has to do with how much self neglect I’ve been in and that my body is talking to me; it is saying it wants Love ‘All of the time’, not just when its easy.

        I appreciate you showing just how simple it can be to address our dis-comfort and even our dis-eases by applying self care, using self love and the common sense that comes with it.

        1. This is the thing Jo Billings – we can address our dis-comfort with very simple and practical ways. By applying self-care as you say is common sense really and it makes a big difference if we stick at it no matter what. If you knew me in the past, I was a constant moaner about my cold hands and cold feet and now both are super warm ALL the time and that speaks volumes.
          When something like this works in our life, I feel we have a duty to share this as others can benefit and not stay in the agony and misery. This website is saying there is another way to live and it will continue to post blogs that make sense and ask the reader to question things and ponder on things that they may not have done before.

      2. I agree – I love taking extra care to have warm clothes on, so I feel warm inside and out, I love feeling warm, and tender. When Im cool or cold my body hardens to protect itself and I don’t feel so relaxed then.

        1. Good point you make here Jane about the body and how it hardens when we are cold to protect itself. This hardening affects our insides probably more than we would like to think. So we contract so to speak and when we are warm and toasty we are expanded.

  5. Thank you Cheryl for your feedback. Great you can feel this website is refreshing and we plan to deliver and present a lot more ‘fresh air’ which we feel is much needed.
    Everyone seems to be super busy and we fast read so if things like this blog make sense and it took you 5 minutes to read then we got a chance to say what we need without overdoing it.
    That thing you say about ‘fear of looking silly’ was also me in the fashionista days where looking cool and feeling crap was the normal. Gone are those days and last summer a woman questioned me at the bus stop and asked why I was wearing gloves as it was not winter. I told her that my hands like to be warm ALL the time and as it was cold regardless of the date on the calendar saying it was not winter, I was simply looking after myself. What amazes me today is that my hands and feet are super warm all the time. I wear sheepskin insoles in all my shoes all the time. Hello – you probably think I have lost the plot but no, it works for me and my feet love it.

  6. So true that the changes only need to be simple and consistent to make a difference. And how much the body loves being warm! I’ve had Raynaud’s for years and last winter I felt the cold all the time ,but since I’ve started making really simple, small changes to look after myself, this winter I’ve barely noticed the cold: to me this is amazing! When I dress for winter, or the cold, I resist it less – so there’s less tension in my body as a result. Thank you for this reminder of practical and no-nonsense top tips.

    1. Great that you like the practical no-nonsense top tips Bryony. Our aim on this website is simply to say it as it is with nothing fancy and zero fluff.
      I agree with you about less tension in our body when we are warm. It seems obvious whilst writing this now but like many others, I would like to look cool and trendy than wear hat, gloves or socks. Now I don’t care who thinks what of me, I take the responsibility to keep warm no matter what. For me it is a priority as if my body is cold then I am going to be miserable. Knowing I have the choice to change that misery state is empowering to say the least.

  7. I feel you are right Bina, our lifestyle, the way we live everyday, definitely has an affect on how our body feels. From someone who was under the illusion that the cold didn’t bother me, from going out in shorts in temperatures of 0-5 degrees to having made a lot of changes in my daily living, like cutting out dairy, alcohol, gluten, caffeine and sugar and being more self-loving towards myself, I am now much more aware of how my body is feeling and when I feel cold I dont go into disregard and just ignore it, I make sure I wrap up. Making those daily changes in taking more care of myself has made an incredible difference in my life and also how I interact with others. Because I am more loving with myself I feel I am more loving with others too.

    1. This is a great comment Tim and what I keep feeling to ask the world is –
      why is it that we go out in shorts when the temperature is 5 degrees or less?
      I was the same for nightclubs – very little clothing and yes I felt the cold but then had the solution – drink alcohol which definately numbed my feelings and so I forgot about the cold and ignored it when I saw my skin turning blue and purple in colour.
      I also like what you share Tim about being more caring and loving towards yourself everyday has made a difference in how you interact with others. I feel it also makes us understand others as we were there once and now we know different. This is why we ALL need to share our own lived experience so others get a taste, a flavour of what they could have too and it comes down to choice. Always a choice.

  8. So why is it that we just rely on the medics to tell us. In this case what you confirm Michael is that there is no cure, yet I am living proof having been a super cold hands and cold feet sufferer for most of my life to warm and toasty hands and feet.
    Could it be that we need to take it into our own hands and make self caring and deeply loving choices, which are lifestyle choices and nothing more and things will change. Well it did in my case and this is why this blog has come about. Total simple sense if you ask me.

  9. I love my gloves and thermal insoles and it takes me well into May , closer to June sometimes, for me to stop wearing my thermals, I don’t like being cold either. And I do find a walk really gets my hands and feet toasty warm.
    Quite remarkable really that a condition that is medically is seen with no cure was resolved with something so simple and enjoyable as taking loving care of yourself consistently on a daily basis. Clearly this is the key to bringing about true and lasting healing.
    This blog makes so much sense and gives an easy to do list for such change.

    1. Great point you make Ruth Ketnor about how we give our power away to the medics when some common sense stuff may just help. Of course it is advisable to always seek professional medical help but if there is a strong consensus that there is no cure, surely we don’t just give up.
      Could it be possible that the way we are choosing to live – in other words our lifestyle choices have a play in how things manifest in our body?
      Would it be true to say that we actually have lifestyle illnesses today that were not around in the past?

  10. This blog is VERY sensible and practical and makes much more sense that the saying ‘Cold hands, Warm heart. I used to get colds all of the time and my hands were well known to be cold. Now I am more aware that when my hands are cold, I am neglecting myself in someway, whether it be not wearing enough clothes, not putting my gloves on or even that it’s time for me to have something to eat. Our bodies are always communicating to us and it is amazing what we can learn about ourselves and our bodies when we pay attention.

    1. Correct Shevon – our bodies are always communicating to us and there is much to learn if we choose to connect to our body and respond as you say in your comment.
      Our health systems are so burdened and is it time we took more responsibility by even asking a simple question like you say that if your hands are cold, could it be possible you are neglecting your body in some way?

  11. It is so interesting to frame going to bed early and drinking hot water and the like as ‘good medicine’. It really drives home that the state of our bodies is our own responsibility, not the doctor’s and that there is so much we can do to support ourselves if we choose to. The other thing that comes through loud and clear here is consistency. What I’m hearing is that you didn’t just wear gloves some times or drink hot water on some days, but that you did it consistently and that’s what brought the results: like how water can wear away stone…

    1. Reflecting on this more, I’m also seeing from this blog and the comments how important the details are. If we ignore the little things then we shouldn’t be surprised when a bigger problem comes in. I remember an army guy once telling me they get taught in the army not to ignore it when you feel a pinch in your army boots. If you have a long distance to travel by foot, catching that niggling pinch in your boots early and taking the time to pause and sort it out (a wrinkled sock, a too tight lace etc.) stops the blisters forming which stops the infection which stops the drama and incapacitation etc. that could come. They saw it as their responsibility to themselves but also to each other to take care of event the smallest things – if you ignore a blister forming you’re risking the safety of the group. So I’m hearing this loud and clear reading this blog – take care of the smallest things, don’t wait, don’t override.

  12. When our iron levels are low a common symptom are cold hands and feet. If we were to apply the ‘common sense medicine’ that the author of this blog writes, with from their lived experience, could our iron stores then improve if we made lifestyle changes beyond our diet? Epigenetics tells us that our environment can have an impact on our health, even if we are medically predisposed to a condition.

    1. Hello Shevon
      this is a great comment and from personal experience as the author of this blog I can say that I no longer have low iron levels.
      So many of us find remedies, drinks and pop pills to support us with something that our body is lacking like iron. But what if we made some changes that are ‘common sense medicine’.
      I also noticed how advertisements encourage us to take the iron drink but not address why we have the problem in the first place.
      It begs the questions, who actually benefits and is it all about making profits?
      What is clear is finding solutions to continue functioning is never going to clear the root issue.

  13. I like this comment ‘common sense medicine,’ – I feel is lacking every time our bodies are signalling that something isn’t right. It is so simple yet we go to the quick fixes, popping pills and potions. If the author of the blog was able to heal from Raynauds, then what else are we capable of healing if we paid more attention to the signals of the body?

    On a side note, I observe people treat their cars with more care than their bodies, this is a wake up call, is a car more important then their body? Where is the responsibility?

    It is lovely confirmation that the author has healed from this condition, thank you for sharing Simple Living Global – what else are we capable of doing?

  14. After bringing my attention and lots of care to my cold hands, I have noticed something. If my WRISTS are warm, my hands are warm and I am warm. So now I’m taking great care of my wrists too. So simple.

  15. I was just in California and my work colleagues were teasing me for being wrapped up like it was winter. Well for me it WAS winter. It was 11 degrees C and that is not warm for me, however brightly the California sun might be shining. It was interesting to see them thinking twice about their choice of clothes after seeing me wrapped up.

    1. I was at the bus stop yesterday and saw a young woman absolutely shaking with cold and it was simply because it was what I call the ‘Cold Sun’. Yes it was bright and shiny but at 8am it was really cold.
      What I noticed was the fashionista takes priority before keeping warm and toasty.
      You tend to not look fancy and flashy with the hat and gloves with a big coat but surely it is worth it.

      I am known for wearing layers even when the world and its brothers think it is super hot out there.
      Knowing how bad my cold hands and feet were, where I knew it was literally pain in my bones – to being warm and constantly maintaining that, is priceless to say the least.

  16. Bed socks are a must for me and I’ve taken to heating them up on an electric oil heater before bed. The way they feel when I put them on is amazing. I describe it to my kids as a foot hug. Cold feet or no, who wouldn’t want that? It’s so awesome my husband is embracing it.

    Last night I was a little late home and I didn’t do the heating up thing. I was shivery when I got into bed and I can feel my toes cold this morning. It’s a small detail, but I can feel the impact on my body of missing it. Like my body wants and needs me to take care of it and feels the absence when I don’t.

  17. Thank you Simple Living Global for bringing Raynaud’s disease into our awareness and for sharing your lived wisdom here, on how we can practically deal with cold hands and cold feet.

    Before this blog I never even knew that Raynaud’s existed and it is a very serious disease which sometimes has to be treated with medications like calcium channel blockers, alpha blockers, prescription skin cream and ACE inhibitors. Some of these medications are used to treat high blood pressure.

    Gangrene can also set in which can lead to toes and fingers actually being amputated.

    https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/raynaud/treatment

  18. I have recently been seeing a bit of London sunshine which is certainly not hot weather but people somehow switch clothes and think it is.
    6 degrees is not flip flops and shorts and we forget how warm our body actually needs to be for optimum well being.

    Out for a walk with a friend this week, we had hat and gloves on and possibly looked odd to the outside world. All I know is that I was super snuggy and warm and there was not a slight temperature change to my body when I stepped outside.

    The other thing I have been noticing is how children are dressed for fashion and not for keeping the tootsies and hands warm.

  19. I have long limbs and circulation problems supposedly ‘run in my family’.

    HOWEVER, I’ve realised that for me, having cold hands and feet is not about those things – it is directly linked to how well I take (or don’t) care of myself.

    I noticed this a few years back and have watched and experimented with it since. I inadvertently confirmed it again this last week.

    A particularly full on time at work, culminated in a huge working week. My morning and evening routines lost some of their care and colour. I was rushing around. I made bad food choices. I ate close to bedtime. I dropped some of my walks. I didn’t drink enough water. I ditched my pop socks, telling myself it was sunny.

    And guess what? Yep: cold hands, cold feet.

    So then came the re-set.

    Warm clothes. Hot soup. Taking care of the details again. And bingo. Warm hands, warm feet.

    And it’s not even sunny outside.

    1. I have been feeling again how this is all about the details.

      I remember as a child joking with my Dad that he wouldn’t step outside without being fully buttoned, zipped and rugged up. We would all have to wait for him to fully zip his jacket and put on his scarf, even if we were in a rush. It seemed to take ages.

      I have realised the sense in his approach and how much self-care there was there.

      It’s reminded me that putting on my gloves on the way to the station or doing my coat up after I’ve stepped outside is not where it’s at.

      I can go even further with the details.

    2. I love this JS as what you share is nothing other than a scientific experiment. You did something and got one result – cold hands, cold feet; you did something else and you got another result – warm hands, warm feet.

      Why do we make things so complicated? Is it because otherwise the answer would be way too simple?

      What you share JS shows how simple life can be and confirms that we do have the answers, but it does require a willingness to change and question the way that we currently live.

  20. I was speaking with a friend this week who shared her observations of how she sees people wrapped up warm at the top half of their body e.g with hat, scarf and waist length jacket (notice no mention of gloves!) but it is like we have forgotten about the lower half of our body which is not wrapped up just as warm, especially when it comes to the feet with some of us having no socks or those thin trainer like socks on.

    She is so correct. What I realise is that most of us dress because it is a certain season, but not because we want to keep our bodies warm. Example – we know it is cold outside, as it is winter and so the obligatory – hat, scarf, jacket and maybe gloves come out but that’s about it. As we are not dressing to keep the whole body warm, but dressing to the weather (which is something outside of us) of course we are disconnected from our bodies and so we are not then able to contemplate what each part of our body needs to keep warm as we have lost touch with it.

    This blog I feel is a must read, as it has very valuable tips that can get us taking care of our bodies much more and stop taking them for granted.

  21. It’s pretty cold here right now in London and something I have been observing that feels worth a mention – in the name of fashion I see this trend of ankles on display with those trainer socks and heavy coat. Great, so on some level it has been noted this is winter and it’s cold.

    But what about those ankles – is that our achilles heel (pun intended) when it comes to deeply taking care of ourselves?
    What if the ankles do affect how cold our feet are and how the blood circulates back up to the heart and all around our body?

    I for one, coming from lived experience, can say that it works well to have this part of our body snug warm and what I have noticed is when I step outside, I actually feel no different and no longer whinge at the bus stop to others how cold it is outside. WHY?
    Because I choose to wrap up well and it holds me steady with my internal temperature.

    Call me weird or out of fashion and not cool, but even in warmer weather, I carry a pair of soft light gloves that support me as I tend to feel the elements far more than most and this extra care goes a long way, as I am completely free of any concern now about having cold hands and cold feet. What a great common sense way to heal this stuff once and for all and with no cost. Amazing really.

    1. Ah the cropped trouser – what a great look.

      What has struck me in observing the same thing, Bina, is that it is mostly women wearing the cropped trousers and no socks in the freezing cold. The coat is big and the scarf is bigger, often there are even hats and gloves, but the ankles are bare.

      It is like the cropped trouser is the go-to outfit and so many of us rigidly stick to it, despite the weather.

      I had wondered if this was a UK thing, but it was out in force in New York this last week.

      Especially where there are hip trainers to be showcased.

      I am sure there are some men who do this too, but I see that much less – so as women, why do we care so much about the look?

      Why do we override our body in the name of fashion?

      Who are we trying to impress and is that really more important than being physically warm?

      I love the cropped trouser look, but I can’t now have cold ankles. It acts like a circuit breaker, stopping the warmth from getting to my feet and especially my toes. And it makes the temperature of my whole body drop a few degrees.

      And the opposite is also true – warm ankles equals warm feet, equals warm body, equals a settled body and, in fact, beyond that to a feeling of snuggly joy.

      1. Thank you JS for this comment expanding on what this ankle showing cropped trouser stuff is all about. Fashion in winter cold weather seems silly to me, if it harms our body in anyway.

        I know when those famous snuggy boots were the height of fashion and they are like indoor and outdoor footwear and everyone was wearing them. So many had them on in summer with a mini skirt. So again confirming fashion goes before what the weather says.

        Next – I am known to wear double socks and I have tried the odd times with one layer and I can feel the difference. What I have realised is how over the years I am more connected to my body, so I actually feel more than I did in the past. This means even a draught I can feel on my legs if the front door is open too long and I am inside.

        If I am going outside there is this fun way of getting prepared. I want to feel as warm and well as I do inside my well heated home. It requires layers, a bit of magic as to which layers, then the usual hat gloves and sensible footwear.

        I step outside and cannot feel the difference, even though the temperature could be very cold. Interesting.

        I bought small heaters that are dotted around my home in addition to the main heating for extra boost as and when needed, but also I can heat up my clothes before putting them on. This ritual has been going on for a decade now and life without warm clothes is not happening.

        Of course I am real and so when I am away this is not always possible, but I roll with it and it is no big deal as my reserve hot tank inside me is full of warmth and carries me through nights away from hot house home.

  22. This is a great conversation because something that seems or should be common sense is not always the case. For instance how many times have we nipped to the shops without putting on a coat or nipped next door to a neighbour and stood there freezing on the doorstep? Or even stood at our own doorstep freezing out of politeness.

    These may seem like trivial examples of lack of self-care but when we turn it around and start making choices that support us, these simple acts speak volumes.

  23. It was minus 2 degrees in London yesterday. A number of tween and teen girls walking to school in the snow had bare legs under their skirts.

    I wonder if they actively feel the cold and suffer away with it. Or if they are numb to the freezing temperatures somehow.

    And I wonder if their families saw them leave the house that way and whether they talked about it.

  24. The days are getting colder and in particular the mornings – just something I have noticed.

    What is very obvious is the choice of dress now that the so called heatwave summer days have long gone.

    The majority I see on public transport seem to be ‘glove-less’ and from their movements and behaviour it is super clear they are feeling the cold on their hands.

    I have a theory and it deserves a comment.

    Talking from absolute lived experience and being a sufferer of serious cold hands and cold feet, I have realised that our body has an intelligence and a job to do. So when it comes to cold temperatures the first priority is to make sure all the organs, which are the central part of our body are fully taken care of. That becomes the focus where heat is to go as without our organs working there would be instant complications leading to ill health.

    So if the body was communicating to us – it would simply say
    “no spare heat left for the extremities” which would be the hands and feet.

    Then if no action is taken to take more regard, more care of the body then this cold hands stuff will continue to get worse.

    What is incredible is I took this theory seriously and made choices to change and some are mentioned in this blog.

    I then had to write about Raynaud’s as many suffer from this and really don’t need to, as I am living proof we can knock this cold hands cold feet out once and for all.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/raynauds-awareness/

    There are many days I have such warm hands that I don’t need thick gloves and wear lighter ones. Weird as it seems, I carry gloves in summer days too albeit thin ones as if I feel cold wind or just a hint of cold, they go on. This detail is super important – same as wearing sheepskin fluffy insoles in my shoes, which keep my toes and feet super snug and warm. Drinking hot water when I get up is a must, as is some hot soup as often as I can during the week. This fires up my belly and keeps me feeling warm.

    Of course there is a lot more but back to the theory.

    What if our body could communicate to us?
    What would it tell us about why we have cold hands and cold feet?

    All I know is what I live must have some importance, as I have worked it out and it works and long term there is no cold hands, cold feet on my radar.

    In fact, it would be true to say I am warm hands, warm feet all year round, regardless of the temperature outside.

    My body receives a quality that I choose to ensure I commit to and that means I do my best to look after myself and not dress silly when I know the weather can change and I am not equipped. Those irresponsible days are long gone – thank God.

  25. I love this blog and it holds meaning for me as I was a real sufferer for so long with cold hands and cold feet, which got to the Raynauds going undiagnosed and undetected.

    I thought it was just me and I had to live with it.
    Not once did I consider that how I choose to live had a part in changing everything, in other words reversing it all.

    This week at the swimming pool we were told there was no hot water for showers.
    So I first connected and checked in with my body if it was true to swim. I know I take deep care of my body and I know how warm I feel before, during and after a swim.

    I can even feel during a swim when my inside temperature is dropping and I just need to move to get out and not hang around doing another 2 lengths.

    I made the choice to swim and prepared myself.

    I took my large towel by the poolside and placed it on a chair right above a very warm heater. I knew this towel was going to be warm when I got out and it was.

    I dried off most of the water that I could and wrapped the towel around my upper body and felt very warm.
    In fact, I did not get the usual super cold hit when I enter the changing room and head for a hot shower.

    Next – I used a hot hairdryer and dried my whole body.
    It did not matter to me that I was not clean and washed with a shower.
    My focus was to stay warm and I certainly did.

    Then came the layers, one by one I dressed myself from wooly hat to tights, wool socks and boots with sheepskin insoles. Then another 20 pence to blow dry my hair.
    Super snug and so warm all round – head to toe with no compromise, no clock watching.

    While this was going on I heard screaming as everyone attempted the cold showers and also swearing. One old lady said she had to use her mind and override what she felt to have the cold shower, which for the record is colder than the swimming pool.

    Others said they got used to the cold and could no longer feel it.

    Interesting to observe how different our choices are and how we can easily dis-connect from our body and actually not feel.

    What I noticed was how the body contracts as some of the women were so cold they were bracing themselves and their natural open body was closed off and shoulders were coming in and the face did not look happy.

    I wonder if we made daily choices to take deep deep care of our body that it then would support us in all situations, like this real life example above.

    There is one thing I would never do now and that is have a cold body when I know what to do and the benefits it has.

  26. I was introduced to someone yesterday and the handshake was freezing cold hands.

    They had walked in the cold weather without gloves, hat or thick coat. What I did notice were ankle socks and short trendy trousers, so bare legs at the bottom was on show.

    As I have no censor in my head telling me don’t say this or that, I just say it as it is and said “your hands are very cold”.
    The woman reacted and made it clear she did not like what was said.
    Her next sentence was that she comes from a country where it is cold.

    Could it be possible that if we are dis-connected for whatever reason from our body, then we are not likely to feel what our body is communicating?

    Is it possible that freezing cold hands are not natural to the internal state of our body?

    Is it possible that wearing fashionable short cut trousers and a short sleeve shirt for work could be adding to our already ignored cold state of being?

    Is it possible that when we shut off from feeling the real state of our body, we also shut off the reflections from others that could be on offer?

    In other words, here was me – mrs warm and toasty – offering an opening to a conversation about how to get from cold freezing hands to super warm hands at all times regardless of weather conditions.

    I know I wish I had someone like me today who could have directed me or shared with me from lived experience how I could end the misery I felt daily with my cold hands and cold feet which lasted for decades. I could see no way out and yet today, it is no longer on my radar.

    To expand more on this article, I would say that our body has a higher form of intelligence than we would like to think.

    It knows it has a job to do and it knows how to prioritise and work for maximum optimum results.

    So our extremities like hands and feet, fingertips and toes are super cold.

    Well what if our body has only enough resources for keeping the main engine going, which is the middle torso where our organs are. It has no supplies to keep the limbs, let alone the ends which are hands and feet warm, BECAUSE of how we are choosing to live.

    Cold food, cold drinks, fashion dressing with no real regard to weather conditions is not going to give our body the resources needed to supply to the tips of our fingers.

    Could it be that simple and is this making any sense?

    To me it makes utter sense and I apply this way of living warm inside to the best of my ability and it really helps.

    To me there is nothing more debilitating than feeling cold and not knowing what to do about it.

  27. This blog has been well worth writing and I seem to be the one who comments on it and that is simply because I keep coming across people I have never met, who bang on about their cold hands and cold feet.

    What is a common thread among them is the level of acceptance, with no further questioning as to WHY or is there another way.

    I was reflecting on it this morning in the early hours, how I just do not feel cold to the bone like I used to. This is not because the heating is on and I have a snuggy duvet. It is far more than this and I know I have the answers to knock out this miserable feeling that haunts us in the cold weather.

    Building our immune system is key and early bed with a sleep routine would help for starters. ADD to that hot water as the norm when we wake up and throughout the day. Knock out tea, coffee, alcohol and energy drinks and replace with peppermint or chamomile if plain hot water is a No. That way the body starts to get used to a nourishing warm hydration internally.

    Wrapping up well including hat, scarf and gloves plus wearing layers makes a huge difference before going out for a daily walk, even if it is a short one. If the intent is there and action is taken then it makes a difference.

    These simple, easy and practical tips communicate to our body that we are ready to look after it and not continue to ignore the messages it is giving us.

    I wear 2 layers for my feet and I don’t care what anyone thinks of me or if I look silly or unfashionable. Thin layer and then thick socks and boots or thin layer and thin socks if its work shoes. Done.
    This ensures my feet are never exposed to the cold.

    But there is more…
    Our body has to first and foremost look after the organs and that is where the focus is.
    If we are choosing to make lifestyle choices that are not taking care of the basic needs then chances are we are not going to have the extremities, like hands and fingers, feet and toes getting attention.

    Example – we love to drink alcohol. Well the liver department has no spare resources and if it did the kidneys would be high priority and the pancreas etc., as these are the major organs. Hands and feet are not even on the agenda.

    So we continue drinking alcohol which alters our natural state and that means we don’t care about our cold hands as we barely notice them, as the alcohol takes care of it by numbing us from our feelings. By the time we clock it, we could be already serving up the next drink and so it goes on and on without any real change taking place.

    This is an example only and the point is, unless we are choosing to be aware of what is exactly going on in our body, we are not going to question it unless it becomes a 911.

    Rather than have repeatedly boring conversations about the same old thing – our cold hands, we could actually take some simple steps and bring about real change.

    I am living proof that things can change and it never has to go back if we lock in the self care tips on this blog and all over this website.

    Too often we look for solutions and yet deep down, before we purchase the next designer fluffy lined boots, we know it will not be the answer. There is more to action if we seriously want warm and toasty hands and feet forever.

  28. Daily Mail – 24 October 2020

    Having ‘freezing feet’ in bed during winter is apparently one of the worst things we could have.

    Well guess what?

    We have a solution – scientists have found a mattress that will keep our feet warm by massaging them and increasing blood flow. It will inflate and deflate pockets of air throughout the night.

    The study participants did show an increase in temperature in their big toe after 8 weeks.
    Just so we understand and not skip this point. 2 months later there was change, not in the whole feet or all the toes but just one toe.

    Before we go out to spend £2,500 as the solution for our cold feet, it would be wise to re-read this blog and then read the blog about feet and footwear and then our whole category on sleep and then ALL the comments thereafter.

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/feet-and-footwear/
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/category/sleep/

    What is it about us that never ever questions how and why on earth we suffer with cold feet and does it have anything to do with our lifestyle choices?

    A classic example here to consider would be our choice of socks and what we ingest by way of food and drink.

    How much of it is really warm and nourishing which in turn would support our body?

    What if our body has a very important job to do and it does it very well with the limitations we put on it?
    That means it will first and foremost protect the main organs so with it’s super intelligence the focus remains there first. If there is anything else to consider like feet and toes it is not as important as we are not ensuring we feed it correctly. ‘Feed’ is not just about food but the thoughts we have and the choices thereafter.

    An example of this might be we need a hot bath and early bed but its party time so we distract and go out for an alcohol fuelled night and crash out in bed with no regard to how the body is feeling as we have dis-connected and that means we do not even have the awareness that our feet are freezing cold and so is our whole body, as we went out dressed for party not a hike in the cold mountain – that means no hat, gloves or scarf let alone a layer like a jumper or coat.
    I
    s this making sense?

    Before we go for yet another sleep solution to add to our plethora of sleeping aids it would be wise to ask how we have got to this issue in the first place.

    Our feet did not start off freezing cold as our parents made sure we were warm and toasty all the time, wrapped up in all weathers, then something happened – we grew up and started making choices.

    Could it be possible then that our dis-regarding choices for our body is why we have the cold feet in the first place and until we address that even a 20,000 dollar mattress will not solve the root cause of our problem?

  29. Talking to a lady serving in a vegetarian “health” café who tells me she suffers with Cold Hands and it has been like that for as long as she can remember. She then added her feet were the same.

    I asked her if she goes on the Internet, so I could refer her to this blog and the comments thereafter, which are all worth considering. When she said no, I took her hands and she got to feel mine.

    What I shared was no amount of “healthy” type foods is going to do the job as it is more from us that is now required. Coming from my own lived experience and having Cold Hands and Cold Feet for decades, it is great to talk from this body that knows how to make the changes that actually stick. In other words, this is not a fix it but a way of life, so we start to change by applying the practical things that are needed.

    Yes, of course wear hat and gloves when weather dictates. However, we are not always that discerning and I still to this day wear thin gloves when the masses out there think its great weather on a summer’s day, where it may be daylight earlier but the temperature is still quite low.

    Back to the waitress and I suggested she starts drinking hot water when she wakes up and wearing double socks.

    When someone has lived something day in and day out for a decade or more, then I say it’s worth listening as it might work for us too. Wearing 2 pairs of socks is my normal and it works.

    I would say it is the start of paying more attention to our body’s needs and not negating it with what is fed in our head by what we listen or read out there. This could make a big difference and bring some real benefits.

    Too often, like this lady, we just resign ourselves to the fact that this is how it is and we can never ever end up one day with warm and toasty hands and feet, regardless of the weather temperature outside.

    Well this lady got to hold and feel my warm hands which actually felt quite hot and yes she was surprised and that is why she took note.

    No point opening our mouths, dishing out advice or suggestions if we do not live an ounce of what we are spouting. Waste of time, if you ask me.

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