Being fit and happy is almost always a priority, especially during winter. Follow our winter health tips to stay on top of seasonal threats.
As the temperatures start to plummet, people tend to begin catching colds. Many cold-weather factors can weaken your immune system, leading to seasonal illnesses.
Here are four winter health tips that can help keep yourself and your family safe.
Consider What You Eat
Any doctor or nutritionist would tell you to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, fiber, and little sugar.
The last of which can be hard to avoid during the holidays and hibernating season: there are always cakes, homemade cookies, eggnogs, and peppermint lattes to tempt you.
You can manage your weight by including various healthy foods: the closer your diet resembles a rainbow, the more beneficial it is. Dark greens, red tomatoes, oranges, and green herbs are loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It’s easy to steam some fresh or frozen broccoli as a healthy side dish, or add onions to each meal, just as an example.
Consider adding the following to your diet:
- Whole grains
- Milk and dairy products
- Seafood, lean meats, eggs, beans, soy products, nuts, and seeds
If remaining fit and healthy is your goal, start with your diet!
Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
Ideally, adults should be aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Good sleep is critical for your health, especially when days start getting shorter during the winter months. When you don’t get enough sleep, your mood, ability to heal, job performance, attention, and more can be severely affected.
If you have trouble sleeping or if you are suffering from sleep apnea, a sleep study can help determine any issues and help you improve your sleep habits.
An Object in Motion Stays in Motion
You must get a good amount of physical activity, 30 to 60 minutes daily or 150 minutes weekly.
Plus, exercising outdoors is even better! Being outside in the fresh air and nature can calm and restore your emotional and mental state. A workout routine in cold weather is heart-friendly since your body has to work harder to maintain your core temperature.
Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation is an ancient practice that focuses on introspection. Being able to reflect on yourself to better yourself is said to help you attain enlightenment, but you don’t have to practice ancient beliefs to get the health benefits that mindfulness offers.
Many therapists even use mindfulness meditation to help patients struggling with PTSD, anxiety, depression, or addiction. This action can help you live in the moment instead of dwelling on the past or the future, which can cause grief, regret, shame, or anxiety.
Mindfulness meditation combined with deep breathing can help relax your stress and anxiety and decrease cortisol, your stress hormone. These actions can help combat illness and may even help prevent catching a cold or flu.
Benefits of mindfulness can include:
- Increased self-awareness
- Change in your perspective
- Decreased stress, depression, and anxiety
- Decreased emotional reactivity
- Improved work and academic performance
- Improved sleep
- Improved connection with yourself and others
- Increased compassion, gratitude, and empathy
- Increased insight into what you prioritize
Your fitness journey should encompass more than just exercising and being physically active. Winter health tips can help you stave off Seasonal Affective Disorder, holiday pounds, seasonal colds and cases of the flu, and much more.
If you are interested in learning more about fitness and cold weather, click here!
