Stay cosy this Xmas

If the thought of hiking up the central heating brings you out in a cold sweat, Kim Jones has tips and tricks for boosting your internal thermostat

- Kim Jones

DO: Space out your exercise

Physical activity generates heat in the body, so moving is good. “Every time our muscles contract they produce heat which transfers to the blood and leads to an increase in temperature,” says Dr Gareth Nye, senior physiology lecturer at Chester University.

“Try spacing out your exercise throughout the day – especially when you feel yourself cooling down or shivering. The exercise itself doesn’t have to be extensive. Anything to get your major muscles moving such as short runs on the spot, shadow boxing from a sitting position, a few jumping jacks or even going up and down the stairs.”

DON’T: Overdo it

“During intense exercise, the body loses 85 per cent of its heat through sweating, so finding the balance between increasing your body temperature and inducing sweating is challenging,” says Dr Nye. “You can mitigate the impact of vigorous exercise that’s made you sweat by quickly changing out of your wet exercise clothes into something dry.”

DO: Layer up