Contributed by Aurora LaJambre, Catalogs.com Info Guru

As heating costs continue to increase and families look for ways to reduce expenses and their carbon footprint, it’s time try a few alternative methods to staying warm.

Cold weather lowers your immune system, causing your chances of catching a sickness to sky rocket. With a bit of resourcefulness and creativity, you can stay cozy and healthy all winter.

Here are the top 10 ways to stay warm without setting your furnace in overdrive.

10. Seal the Cracks

Staying indoors during winter is one of the most effective ways to stay warm, unless your home lacks sufficient insulation. Use caulk to seal the cracks in floors and doorways and pick up window sill draft stoppers to keep the cold from getting in your home.

9. Warming Foods

According to Ayurveda and ancient Chinese medicine, some nourishing foods have the natural ability to warm your body. These foods include sesame, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, clove, cumin, pepper, millet, fenugreek, honey and oranges. Work these ingredients into casseroles, Asian dishes and stir fries to improve your overall constitution. Shake cinnamon into your coffee, or start your day with a mug of ginger tea. Avoid processed foods, white bread and dairy as they have the opposite effects on the body.

8. Move It

Exercise improves circulation, cognitive function and boost s your immune system. Regular exercise will help prepare your body to endure cold temperatures. If you’re standing outside in a crowd, jump up and down, move your arms, do a few squats and bend your knees to keep your muscles warm and your limbs from numbing.

7. Hot Soup or Stew

What better way to enjoy outdoor holiday festivals that with a warm cup of soup in our belly? Eating soup or stew keeps energy levels up and warms your fingers as you cradle the cowl in your hands.

6. Hot Beverages

Holding a cup of hot coffee, tea or hot cocoa in your hands keeps your fingers from becoming numb if you’re outdoors. Being cold is exhausting; drinking a hot, caffeinated beverage not only warms the body from the inside, it boosts your energy. Use a cozy and a lid to keep your beverage hotter longer.

5. Sauna and Bath

Get the chill out of your body with a hot bath or a trip to the sauna if you have access to one at your gym. In minutes, the muscle tension cause by coldness dissipates and your mind relaxes. Moisturize right after to prevent your skin from cracking.

4. Bundle Up

You may look like a marshmallow, but you’ll be warm. Hats keep body heat from escaping through your head, gloves protect vulnerable fingers from freezing and scarves prevent sore throat and retain body heat. A thick, warm coat accompanied by your latest hand-knit creation can keep you toasty from the minute you step outside until you return. Sleep in cute, fuzzy pajamas on the coldest nights.

3. Light a Fire

Fires provide substantial heat in a matter of minutes. Pull a rocking chair near the fireplace and enjoy the comforting heat on your face and hands. If you’re camping, gather round the fire until you’re ready to climb into your sleeping bag to prevent the body from catching a chill.

2. Inner Layer

If you plan to spend a long period outdoors, wear a thin, fitted inner layer beneath your clothes. Inner layers whisk moisture and trap body heat. Staying dry when exposed to cold temperatures prevents frost bite, shivers and dangerous conditions.

1. Snuggle

Take a cue from squirrels and cats and share your body heat with a loved one. Curling your limbs and legs into your body helps to hold in your body heat. Snuggling up next to someone saves and shares your body’s heat. Wrap yourselves tightly in a blanket, pull the blanket over your noses and breathe into the blanket to create a layer of warmth twice as faster.