As we move towards the cooler months of fall and winter, my inbox always gets overflowed with folks asking me if there is any way to keep grounding outside when the weather turns cold… and even bitterly cold.
Yes, actually, there are tons of fabulous options to stay warm while still grounding outside.
I’ve thoroughly tested them all for you — literally confirming that these grounding options work and truly ground you by verifying them with a grounding test meter on lots of different outdoor surfaces. I can confirm that there are several effective grounding shoes that truly do ground you, that there are conductive socks you can wear inside the shoes to keep your toes toasty warm and still be grounded, that there are shoe stickers that you can place on any shoe you already own and it will truly to ground you (perfect for a favorite pair of orthotic shoes you love, or if you simply want to be eco-friendly and not buy more pairs of shoes, as one of the best ways we can support our earth is reuse what we already have instead of consuming more!)
You can also switch to grounding through your hands (instead of barefoot) with several different options to keep your hands warm but effectively grounded… and even ways to keep warm in pajamas yet still be grounded while you sleep — wearing conductive sweatpants, socks, tank tops, t-shirts, etc… while sleeping inside, right on top of your grounding bedding.
Let’s get started!
My 10 favorite ways to stay grounded even when it is cold:
1. Wear Grounding Shoes:
I have three different companies whose grounding shoes are very impressive to me, and believe me when I say I’ve tested them all! Out of the entire market of grounding footwear, these are the shoes I have found provide the most reliable grounding plus are made in an eco-ethical way.
Here are my top 3 choices when looking for new grounding shoes:
Finally, a grounding boot! Woot! This company was founded by my dear friend Sharon Whiteley who developed a new technology called GroundWorks™. This technology utilizes a conductive carbon outsole connecting to a silver conductive footbed. For those looking for a lace up ankle boot or trail shoes, Harmony 783 are the ones you want.
Harmony 783 has sneakers, ankle boots, trail shoes, loafers, walkers and even flip flops — in both Mens and Womens styles. These are my go-to shoe to recommend to hikers, dog walkers, bikers, and really anyone who needs a stable and cushioned foot bed on their and need the rugged protection of a lace up style ankle boot or trail shoe.
Ethically made, individually hand crafted leather shoes that are minimalist in design and come in closed toe slip on designs as well as closed toe lace up loafers for both men and women.
Raum shoes have a zero-drop sole made from a porous water buffalo leather. This type of sole is made extra conductive by absorbing the earth’s moisture and your perspiration. In addition, a copper metal grommet located behind the ball of your foot at the KD 1 pressure point provides maximum conductivity to ground your body.
I particularly appreciate that these shoes are hand sewn, because most shoes on the market are simply glued or cemented together, not hand stitched. So your feet mold into the leather over time to create an amazing level of comfort that brings you back into alignment with how your foot feels and functions best.
If you are looking for a slip on shoe that is minimalist in design (read: a non-cushioned footbed that allows feet to stay in their natural alignment ) and you want the largest selection of colors, then you want Raum shoes. Whenever I head out the door with my hands full (which is pretty much every time I head out the door) and I don’t want to stop, put things down, and sit down to lace up or buckle up my shoes, I slip my feet right into these and carry on with my day effortlessly.
I’m so impressed with Groundz and wanted to showcase their gorgeous shoes… not only because I wear their sandals almost year round (where I live in the south, I can get away with wearing a sandal style shoe throughout the fall and even into early winter) but also because I’ve witnessed their customer service — absolutely phenomenal customer service bar none.
Obviously the sandals are a warm weather staple, but they are so soft and comfortable that if it’s a warm-enough day, these are my go to open toed shoes and here I am, wearing them:
And as you will see in the video I made for you at the end of this article, wearing open toed shoes whenever possible is extremely important for your foot alignment (and subesquently, for the health of your knees, hips and back over a lifetime!) so I typically reach for sandals instead of a closed toe shoe whenever weather permits. But Groundz does also offer beautiful slip on loafer as well as slip on sneakers, so when patients are looking for grounding sneakers with a secure footbed, this is the website I send them to.
Groundz uses sustainably sourced and eco-friendly leather and goatskin throughout the sandals, chrome-free, water based and nontoxic vegetable dyes (very impressive) and a copper plug that is so comfortable I literally can not feel it. It’s so comfortable I had to check and double check that I was actually grounded in them and yep, I am, every time!
2. Add Grounding Stickers To Shoes You Already Own:
These grounding shoe stickers are so easy to use — stick them to shoes you already own and forget them! Get access to all of the benefits of grounding outdoors while being able to wear your favorite footwear.
I can’t think of much more eco-friendly than to continue to use shoes you already own. And if you love them, and they support your foot function best, why not convert your favorite pair of sneakers, running shoes, hiking shoes, or even sports cleats into grounding shoes? A grounding shoe sticker is the way to go.
The sticker is fully conductive and runs the grounding energy from the earth beneath you up and around your shoe and into the sole of your shoe where your feet are. By touching the sticker, you bypass the rubber sole entirely and are basically standing barefoot on the ground, conductively speaking.
I can’t even feel these stickers on my shoes. Find them here.
3. Wear Grounding Socks:
If you wear any of the grounding shoes above, or have put a grounding sticker on shoes you already own, you’ll be grounded the moment you slip your bare foot into the shoe and stand outside on the earth.
But what if you like to wear socks?
Almost every sock manufactured on this planet will block the grounding flow from the grounded shoe (or grounded shoe sticker) because almost all socks have synthetic, non-conductive fibers, elastic, polyester, etc… or are too thick to allow grounding contact.
But it’s truly no problem to wear a sock with a grounding shoe or grounding shoe sticker, you just have to make sure it is a conductive sock. Luckily there are tons of beautiful socks made with conductive materials that will ground you instantly. I’ve got three styles for you to consider:
- an athletic crew sock: thick, plush, absorbent, ankle length
- a thinner dress sock: thinner, sleek, comfortable, crew length… great for work or dress!
- and a compressive knee high sock: stretchy, warm, with the added bonus that they carry grounding all the way up your calves!
In each of these pictures I am modeling the sock for you, and have thoroughly personally tested their conductivity with a grounding test meter. Each sock utilizes silver fibers throughout the entire sock, every inch of it, so the entire sock is conductive from top to bottom.
By wearing a conductive sock with your grounding footwear, your entire sock will instantly encase your entire foot and ankle immediately in grounding energy, which will then powerfully ground your entire body from head to toe.
You can also wear these conductive socks to bed if you like to wear socks but want to be grounded through the grounding mattress panel or grounding bed roll you have your feet resting on in bed!
4. Ground through your hands:
Grounding through your hands is a great option, here are my favorite four ways to do it!
The first option is to wear fingerless gloves that keep your hands toasty warm but your fingertips available to touch the earth, like these lovely wool fingerless gloves I’m modeling for you here.
The second option is to wear conductive gloves that cover all exposed skin, protecting you from the elements while still allowing grounding to conduct right through to your hands. Find those right here.
The third option — my favorite by far — is to layer the two! Put your conductive gloves on, then slip the fingerless wool gloves on top so you have a double layer of warmth while allowing grounding through your fingertips comfortably all winter long.
Wool fingerless gloves keep the palms, wrists and base of the fingers extra insulated, while allowing the conductive layer over the fingertips to touch the earth and directly allow the healing flow of grounding to ground your body from head to toe.
Sets of these gloves are sold together in Youth (XS), Small, Medium, Large and XL unisex sizes. Very stretchy to accommodate most hand shapes and sizes! Find your set right here.
You could also consider simply using a skin protectant like Warm Skin to allow you to stay out in the cold a bit longer, even without protective gloves on. I have to say I use this not only on my hands, but even on areas of my exposed skin that I don’t use for grounding, like my nose and cheeks!
As someone who has lived with Raynaud’s Syndrome all my life, staying grounding outside as the temperature drops is a huge challenge for me. I turn to using Warm Skin to protect my skin and prolong the time I am able to directly ground outside — Warm Skin prolongs my outdoor grounding season by several months each year, even on windy and cold days.
It works by holding in the body’s own natural warmth and serves as a barrier to prevent water loss, moisturizing the skin to keep it pain-free and flexible even in the harshest environments, without the interference of heavy clothing that would block your ground connection. It’s also made in the USA by a a small family business in Minnesota and is all natural. Find it right here.
The other creative way to ground through your hands while staying bundled up and warm is to simply hold onto a conductive grounding walking cane! Stainless steel cane from the crampon on the bottom all the way up to your handgrip ensures quick and immediate grounding. This is the best solution I have found so far for those with mobility issues as well — not only can you sit at a bench or on a chair and ground through your hand using this cane, but even those in a wheelchair can hold onto this grounded cane while outside and ground directly through their hands.
If you want to make your own grounding cane or hiking stick, you can grab a DIY kit to transform any cane, stick (even a simple broom handle!) into a conductive walking stick that will ground you from head to toe without you ever needing to touch the earth directly.
I demonstrate how to use my DIY kit to make your own grounded walking stick in the second half of the video above, starting at the 5:40 min mark.
5. Ground Through Your Pajamas:
I have these soft, elastic waistband, comfy sweatpants hand made, custom sewn per order right here in the USA. They are made from a lovely shielding material, but the perk of this is that is also allows you to lay on a grounded surface (like an organic grounded bed roll or an organic grounding mattress panel, both waiting for you right here) and ground right through your clothes. Perfect for folks who want to be grounded in bed all night long but who like to keep bundled up and warm with no exposed skin available to touch the grounding tool.
Find these options to wear to sleep to keep you grounded to your favorite grounding bed surface:
That’s right, yet another perk of having the grounding socks we talked about above… not only can you wear it with your grounding shoes to stay grounded outside, but if you like to sleep in socks to keep your feet warm in the winter, you can wear theses socks to bed and use them to ground while you sleep as well.
Slipping into bed and resting your feet on a grounding mattress panel or grounding bed roll will allow you to ground right through your grounded pajamas or grounded socks all night long.
6. Sleep with a grounding hot water bottle:
For decades one of my ultimate go-to healing recommendations for patients is a hot water bottle, which combines the healing properties of water with the healing properties of heat (the most holistic supportive therapy that helps relax, repair, and soothe aches and pains from head-to-toe!)
So I have these custom, hand sewn, grounding hot water bottle cozy’s made just for you when you order it, so that you can sleep all night long, grounded in warmth and healing energy. I can’t think of a better way to stay warm and grounded all winter long, and if you are thinking ahead to holiday gifts, this must be one of the most lovely, comforting, supportive healing gifts you can possibly give.
You just have to make sure you order them early, because I have these literally hand made just for you when you order it and it does take a few weeks. Order yours before it get’s too darn cold at night… you can find them right here.
7. Treat your feet with toe alignment socks:
My feet instantly relax with these socks on, and as a bonus not only will the improve the health and alignment of your feet but they will also allow you to ground at the same time, thanks to the fact that your toes are still bare and ready to connect with the earth outside or a grounding mat while grounding indoors.
At the end of a long day, these are almost as good as a nice foot massage from your partner. Almost. But infinitely more practical, because I can wear them while I’m standing in the kitchen making dinner and doing the dishes, and my feet feel stretched out and free by the time I’m done.
I always smile when I pack up an order that someone has placed for these toe alignment socks and some magnesium lotion to go along with them — it’s just the sweetest little duo and I always imagine how good the recipient is going to feel after working some magnesium lotion onto their feet and slipping into these socks.
If you are looking for a little gift to give your hardest working loved ones, some toe alignment socks, my favorite magnesium lotion and a handwritten coupon for a free foot massage is the best thing I can imagine. It’s like physical therapy for your feet! Available in sizes small through XL.
8. Activity Time!
Grab a pen and paper to test your foot health:
- Want to know if you are getting enough barefoot time?
- If your feet properly aligned?
- If the alignment of your foot is giving you knee, hip and back pain?
- If the shoes you are wearing causing foot issues?
- And how can you reverse damage shoes have caused your feet?
With the two very simple tests that I demonstrate for you in this video, you can test your own feet right now and you’ll know the answer to all of these questions!
Here is the video on TikTok:
@laurakonivermd Are You Going Barefoot Enough? (Laura Koniver, M.D. The Intuition Physician)
And here it is on YouTube:
A Quick Way To Know If You Are Going Barefoot Enough (YouTube)
This exercise is extremely eye opening, and you can do it in less than 2 minutes! I highly encourage you to give it a try right now!
9. Read About Even More Grounding Tips:
For more awesome winter time grounding tips, you’ll want to grab the ultimate guide to grounding outside, no matter where you live or what the temperature is. Whether you have a yard or not. Whether you live in an urban area or not. No matter what the season. No matter what the time of day or night.
I’ve filled this book with my very best ideas to get you inspired to head outside in the hottest and coldest seasons, no matter if you live in a city or have any green spaces around you or not… you can get grounded naturally to the earth and I’ll be right there with you, showing you how.
I have signed copies waiting for you right here… or you can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, New Harbinger, and anywhere books are sold!
Korean, Japanese and Russian editions available as well. Find links to all of these editions right here.
10. Ask Me Questions In Class So I Can Personally Help You
Grounding helps keep your immunity high, your inflammation low, reduce stress, deepen sleep, and boost your mood, no matter what you are going through. Sounds like the perfect winter healing plan. But how do you ground all winter long? What is the shortest amount of time you need to stay outside in the cold and still see health benefits? How can you optimize grounding for different health goals?
You ask me and let me help you.
I developed this class to give you tons and tons of ways to incorporate grounding into your daily health care and wellness routines. Every single day you will get a new, uplifting, inspiring way to ground your body and support your innate health through grounding, even as we head into winter.
Class culminates in a private Q&A Recording with me, Dr. Laura Koniver, answering every single question you’ve ever had about grounding. Every single one. Join me in class and get materials, tips, and ideas for grounding that you can use again and again and again, for the rest of your life.
Class starts in 2 weeks on October 17th, sign up to hold your spot today!
To a healthy winter full of grounding, even outside!
Yes, it is absolutely doable! Please share these resources with anyone who would like some tips on comfortable cold weather grounding. From shoes to gloves to DIY hiking sticks, books, classes and more, there are dozens of fun safe ways to connect to our planet and boost our health through grounding, no matter what the season.
xoxoxo, Laura Koniver MD
