There are a few unique things about heading into the winter months which affect our health. The temperature falls and the days get darker and shorter. We tend to start feeling a little run down, low in energy, uninspired and susceptible to winter viruses. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to prepare your mental and physical wellbeing for the season.
Your Dose Of Daylight
Being busy with work, social lives and family commitments, plenty of us can go a week without really seeing daylight. We commute to work, leaving in the darkness, spending all day at our desks and coming back home when the sun has already set. This can have a big mental and physical toll, from low moods and trouble with our circadian rhythm to Vitamin D deficiency. It’s a good idea to purchase a sunrise alarm clock that simulates dawn to gently adjust your body as you wake, and also aim to get moving outside at lunchtime. You could also read up on Infrared Sauna Health Benefits which are especially effective in winter. These steps may help to combat the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Monitor Your Diet
Our intake of fresh foods tends to lower during the winter months when we crave less healthy things. Strengthen your immune system by making sure to add supplements to your diet and trying to ensure that you ‘eat a rainbow’ of different fruits and vegetables.
You could try adding a supergreens powder to your daily smoothie to top up your intake. Also try to up your intake of fish, as the volume of Omega 3, and Vitamins A and D help to prevent seasonal disorders and can also help with a range of things from brain function to eye care.
Watch Your Water Intake
Make sure that the colder conditions are not an excuse for your fluid intake to drop off. The use of central heating and lower humidity levels can dry out our skin, eyes, nose and throat. Purchase a reusable metal water bottle and keep it with you. Another good idea is to get a humidifier for the room that you sleep in. These can make the atmosphere more comfortable and lower your risk of coming down with airborne diseases. A great investment to make in your health.
Get Active Outside
When we get into hibernation mode, it can be easy to shut ourselves away, and do less both socially and physically. It’s hugely important for our mental and physical health to resist this and to keep up these connections. Staying indoors too much can give you cabin fever, so find activities which bring you together with people, whether it’s hosting a dinner where everyone brings a dish or joining in some team sports outside.
The simple opportunity to get together can lift your spirits and is good for your mental balance. Don’t allow yourself to get isolated during the colder months, and even if you don’t feel like going outside, make the effort and you will feel much better. Even just a half-hour walk at lunchtime can balance your mood and your hormones, keep you active, get you a dose of fresh air and Vitamin D and get your circulation going – you’ll feel the benefit immediately.
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