f. Exercise. Exercising causes the muscles of the body to produce body heat
and also increases blood circulation. Exercising the large muscle groups, such as the
legs, produces the most body heat. When the military situation prevents excessive
movement, a soldier should change his position, wiggle his toes, exercise his fingers,
massage his face, and perform other actions to stimulate blood circulation.
g. Change Wet Clothing. Clothing that becomes wet from perspiration or
another source will lose much of its insulating quality. Body heat can be lost rapidly
when clothing is wet. Soldiers should change wet clothing, especially wet socks, when
the opportunity arises.
h. Avoid Excess Sweating. When a soldier is going to perform strenuous
physical activity in cold weather, he should remove some of his outer clothing before
beginning the task. This will keep the removed clothing from becoming wet due to
perspiration. Also, removing the outer layers will help the perspiration that is produced
to evaporate, thus decreasing the amount of perspiration absorbed by the layers of
clothing not removed. After the soldier completes his work, he can put on the dry
clothing again.
i. Avoid Excessive Fatigue. Soldiers should take rest breaks when
performing strenuous physical activities. Rest breaks help to avoid excessive physical
and mental fatigue. When a soldier is physically tired and/or not mentally alert, he is in
more danger of cold injury due to carelessness.
j. Clean and Repair Clothing. Clothing that is soiled with grease or similar
substances lose some of their insulating quality. Rips and holes in clothing result in
direct loss of body heat to the cold air. Soldiers should keep their clothing as clean as
possible and repair rips and holes as soon as possible.
k. Protect Feet. The feet probably perspire more and are less ventilated than
most other parts of the body. Moisture from perspiration or the environment
accumulates in the socks and decreases their ability to protect the feet from cold.
Soldiers should carry dry socks with them and change wet or damp socks whenever
practical. Damp socks can be dried using body heat by placing them under the uniform
and next to the body. Soldiers should avoid conditions that require their feet to stay wet
in cold weather for long periods of time. Soldiers should wash and thoroughly dry their
feet after they have been exposed to wet, cold conditions.
l. Protect Hands. Soldiers should wear windproof leather gloves or mittens to
protect their hands. Hands should be kept dry. Soldiers should avoid conditions that
require their hands to stay wet for long periods of time. Soldiers should wash and
thoroughly dry their hands after they have been exposed to wet, cold conditions.
MD0548
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