Team building top tips: If you're heading outdoors this winter. Stay warm and dry on your team building event or solo adventure.

​Mocean is a multi-award winning employee engagement and internal comms agency based in Bristol & London

Earlier this year we published an article about staying cool in the outdoors - We had some great feedback as we were experiencing some lovely hot weather. Those scorching days and balmy nights seem a longtime past but our team building and employee engagement activities don't stop for the winter months. So, we thought we’d have a look at staying warm and dry if you're heading outdoors over the next few months. For more information on team building and employment engagement, particularly if you're in Bristol and London, please go to www.m-ocean.co.uk/ ​

Nutrition 
Whenever you head outdoors, whether it’s for one of our team building / employee engagement activities or just for a solo adventure, you need to be prepared. That preparation starts before you leave home because your body will use a lot of energy simply staying warm so getting your nutrition right is vital. We’re big fans of doing things naturally and you won't find advice on energy gels and protein shakes in this blog. Instead start the day with some slow release energy sources - porridge, bananas with nuts and seeds are all really good. Topping up the energy levels along the way is also important so that you don’t reach the stage where your body goes into self-preservation mode known as ‘bonking’ - take plenty of carb-rich snacks that are easy and quick to consume. Sources like seeds, nuts and natural energy balls all all good. Our friends over at Go Faster Food have some amazing recipes and they’ve just released some delicious and natural energy balls that will be great on the hills. When you’ve finished reading this blog head over to www.gofasterfood.com​. Here are a few of our favourites:

- Festive Flapjacks - Great to share on your team building event
- Ethiopian-Style Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup with Chilli & Lime
- Smoky Black Bean & Chorizo Chilli

Hydration
Hydration is not just for hot sunny days and is absolutely critical to your survival in the outdoors whatever the weather. Even if it’s cold and wet you’ll be losing valuable water which will hinder your performance. Drink water even if you don’t feel thirsty because being fully-hydrated helps the flow of oxygen around the body which is very good for performance and staying warm.

Stop for a cuppa
There’s nothing better to lift the spirits than a hot drink at the top of the mountain and it’s easy to carry a small flask so that you can enjoy a cuppa of your choice on your adventure. It’s also very handy in an emergency and if you find yourself or others going into a hypothermic state then a few sips of a hot drink will really help. If coffee is your thing then our friends over at TrueStart Coffee manufacture a caffeine controlled coffee which will control the amount of caffeine in each cup - perfect for a day outdoors. Visit www.truestartcoffee.com for more info.

Think like an onion
Wainwright said “There’s no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing”. He’s right, with that correct clothing you’ll enjoy your day outdoors so much better. The secret is layers so that you can adapt your clothing to your situation and it’s a simple formula: When you’re moving - fewer layers. When you’re stopped - more layers. Simples!

Quality counts
You get what you pay for and this is totally true with outdoor clothing. The bigger brands have years of development time behind them and if you splash out on anything this year then make it a really decent Gortex jacket. Whilst nothing can ever claim to be totally waterproof (water has a habit of getting places you don't want it!), the better the jacket, the more chance you have of staying dry.

It’s a cover-up job
This is fairly obvious but you need to cover up all parts of your body at certain times. Hat, gloves and neck scarves are all essential winter kit. Even a balaclava is useful in severe conditions. 

Boots are made for walking…
And not wading through wet ground and rivers. As good as modern boots are they are not totally waterproof. Wet feet can be the worse thing when trying to get back to civilisation. Bring some spare socks so that you can change them should your feet get wet. 

Arrrgh! It’s all gone wrong!
So what happens when you get overtaken by events and it all goes wrong? The first thing we said in this BLOG was that it’s all about preparation and this is very true when it all goes wrong. Did you pack and emergency shelter (essential kit for any outdoor activity)? Did you pack the first aid kit? Did you put all of your kit into dry bags inside your backpack? Did you pack spare clothes and a change of socks? Did you charge the mobile? Did you tell someone where you were going? Hopefully you won’t ever be in this situation but it really is all about the preparation. 

We hope that you don't stop exploring during the winter months. These are some of the best times to get outdoors. So why don't you tell us about your fun times by using our hashtag #ExploreMore. Or if you want to get involved in some of our team building and professional development activities then please visit www.m-ocean.co.uk.