Now that the weather has turned remarkably colder, it won’t be long before the dreaded winter viruses rear their ugly head. If you want to make sure you stay fit and healthy this winter, you’ll want to start focusing on your health now.
Here, you’ll discover how to take care of your health this winter, both physically and mentally.
Pay attention to diet and exercise
It’s much easier to slack off from your usual diet and exercise routine in the winter months. As the temperatures drop, we tend to go into hibernation mode. This involves moving less and eating unhealthier comfort foods.
By ensuring you maintain a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine, you’ll keep the immune system healthy and less prone to picking up viruses. As your Vitamin D levels will naturally reduce in winter, you may also want to start taking supplements to keep your levels topped up.
Ensure you wrap up warm
You’re also going to want to ensure you wrap up warm. This won’t just make you more comfortable, it will also protect you from getting ill. As well as dressing in layers, it’s a great idea to invest in thermal clothing.
Thermal clothing naturally keeps you much warmer, trapping heat close to the body. You can buy everything from thermal tights to thermal vests and trousers. You’ll be surprised how much warmer and more comfortable you feel.
Consider changing your lighting
As the days become darker, it’s common for many people to suffer from SAD. This is a seasonal disorder, causing low mood due to the lack of sunlight. While you can’t magically make the days any brighter, you can use a clever trick to fool the body into thinking it’s lighter than it is. Changing the lighting can make a huge difference to how you feel.
Did you know you can even invest in specialised SAD lamps. These help to combat the depression and other side effects the duller winter weather can produce. You can also change your lightbulbs to daylight bulbs for the same effect.
Get plenty of sleep and reduce stress
Finally, if you want to stay healthy this winter, it’s essential you get plenty of sleep. This will help to keep the body functioning correctly. When you don’t get enough sleep, it can start to negatively impact the immune system.
Similarly, you’ll want to work on reducing your stress levels. Stress is well known to negatively impact the immune system. So, be sure to make time for the activities you enjoy and take time out to relax as much as you can.
These are some of the best tips to help you stay healthy this winter. By making the effort to look after the mind and body, you’ll find the winter season much easier to deal with.
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I think I need to get more sleep; I keep saying I will go to bed earlier but it doesn’t happen anywhere near often enough.
Totally agree! You also need to consider that Christmas is in Winter which means sweets are everywhere. Hard to eat healthy in December!
Great post, I definitely need to take on board some of these ideas! I have been feeling so run down and tired the last few weeks. I did buy myself a new coat last week though so hopefully that will help with the chilly school runs as I was just winging it in a jumper or cardigan lol!
I wish I could get more sleep! But I definitely agree about the lighting, it makes such a difference to my mood.
We have Philips Hue lighting and it really changes the feel of a room – even making it feel warmer
I have already managed to catch a cold, and winter is not even here yet. I need to step up with my diet and introduce more fruits and vegetables.
Some handy tips here. I have been feeling quite run down recently, I think lack of sleep probably has something to do with it.
I am guilty of slacking in the winter when its dark and cold. I hide under my jogging pants and thick jumpers. Your post has made me think I should follow your advise.
These are great tips, I totally need to work on changing my lighting because it’s definitely affecting my mood this season!
I definitely feel like I need more sleep this winter. I’m also having real cravings for lots of green vegetables – I could live on Kale right now!
C x
With the darker days my body always feels like it craves more sleep in the winter. Maybe I need to hibernate throughout these months.