Do you find yourself taking A LOT of walks these days? Here are my winter walking layering tips. Why layer? Multiple layers of clothing create pockets of air that stay warm because of our body heat. The more layers, the more pockets and the warmer you stay. I learned many of these techniques from other crew members on overnight movie shoots. It gets cold when you’re outside all night—even in Southern California!
Tip #1: Always start with a base layer of either silk, wool or a performance wicking fabric. Build up from there with more performance layers or everyday winter clothing.
Tip #2: Don’t forget to layer on your legs! I double up my fleece tights—seriously makes a huge difference. One pair of winter tights and I’m still cold while out walking. And, wearing jeans with nothing underneath is chilly! I love long-underwear silks under jeans and my friend, client and podcaster at Wellness While Walking, Carolyn Cohen, suggests old pantyhose under jeans. So sustainable—love that! Carolyn also gets the credit for the awesome title to this blog post 🙏🏻
A base layer tight underneath a thicker fleece tight always keeps me warm. And SmartWool socks are a must. Click to see more details of each piece in this photo.
Silks, tights or pantyhose under jeans (plus SmartWool socks) will keep you toasty! Click for more details (especially on that happy Stella McCartney/Jeff Koons cardigan)!
Tip #3: Double up on your hands, too. I love to wear my leather gloves with wool mittens on top when I’m walking in the neighborhood. The mittens create a big warm pocket of air around my fingers. And when I need to actually pick something up, I slip one mitten off and my leather gloves are ready to go. Carolyn’s tip: hand warmers in your gloves. No hands in pockets while walking for safety reasons.
Tip #4: Fleece on your head. A loosely knit hat will let a lot of air in—typically a good thing, but when it’s super cold, I love a fleece hat or fleece-lined hat.
Tip #5: Make sure your coat covers the Tushie! Choose a mid-thigh or longer length winter coat. And I always add a scarf (I guess that’s tip #5a 😊 and these days I’m doubling up on masks, too—tip #5b!)
A few more tips from Carolyn: sunglasses if it’s windy and don’t forget to protect cheeks and lips, too. Check out her Walking podcast here.
And a big shout-out to my awesome friend and self-taught knitter, Sue Imperato, for the beautiful gift of these handmade mittens. She gave them to me last year—-so waaaaaaay before Bernie’s Inauguration mittens were a thing. She’s in front of the trend!
Want to try and make a pair yourself? Here are Sue’s instructions:
Click for the Free Pattern by Elli Stubenrauch
Yarn: I used 4 skeins of Icelandic Lettlopi wool - super warm and durable (online ~ $5-6 each + shipping)
Needles: Two sizes of circular needles – I used US4 and US6.
Here is a “work in progress” shot. I make mine 2 at a time, but you could also make one at a time which is easier to manage
I hope these winter walking tips are helpful. Wishing you all a safe and healthy February! I’ll leave you with one last image—some really cute winter shoes-n-socks combos…I don’t typically wear socks with Ugg boots, but when it’s really cold, I do!
Click to shop these fun choices. How cute are those Converse All Stars?