How To Stay Healthy In Winter?

Cold weather during winter can lower your immunity and predispose you to various health conditions or worsen pre-existing ones. For this reason, it’s essential to understand how to stay healthy in winter to prevent avoidable trips to the doctor.

Some easy to follow tips include:

1. Getting enough vegetables and fruits

Vegetables such as leafy greens are rich in vitamins and minerals that the body needs for different functions, including fighting disease and boosting the immune system.

It’s essential that you get your daily nutrient requirements met, especially in winter, since your immune system is more susceptible to attacks during this period.

To promote high nutrient intake, consider eating fresh winter fruits and vegetables.

2. Staying hydrated

Colder months do not bring about too much thirst, and it may be rare that you’ll want to drink water most of the time. However, water is vital for various body processes, both in the warmer or cold months.

Some benefits of drinking enough water include regulating body temperature, transporting oxygen and nutrients to the cells, keeping your joints lubricated, boosting healthy skin, saliva, and mucus formation, improving brain performance, promoting body-fluid balance, and flushing out toxins and other unwanted substances from the body. The Benefits Of Drinking Water

If you find it challenging to drink enough water during winter, ensure you supplement by eating more water-containing fruits and vegetables. Herbal teas and soups may also promote your intake.

However, it’s preferred that most of your water intake comes from pure plain water in addition to high water content foods. And in case it’s too cold to drink, opt for warm or hot water.

3. Paying attention to your ventilation

Whether you’re at work or home, it’s important to let the stale air out to give room for fresh air. However, during winter, windows are often shut to lock out the cold air. This may cause congestion and provide an environment for bacteria to grow and cause disease. Besides, a lack of fresh air can keep the room stuffy, which may lower your level of concentration and mood.

To ensure you’re always breathing in the fresh air, invest in a good-quality air purifier with replacement filters to prevent germs from spreading. You may also want to consider a humidifier if sensitive to cold and dry air. Benefits Of Fresh Air

4. Staying active indoors

Following a regular exercise routine during winter is essential to promote your metabolism, improve circulation, promote weight management, increase mood and energy levels, promote better sleep, and lower your risk of various diseases.

However, going to the gym may not be a choice for everyone at this time, and it doesn’t have to be. You only need a little creativity and you can perform all your workouts from the comfort of your home.

For instance, there are so many home workout videos on youtube that you can easily follow. Just make some space in your living room, or anywhere else around the house, so long as it provides the space you need to accomplish your workouts comfortably. Benefits Of Nature.

5. Getting enough sleep

Adequate sleep has been shown to boost immunity and lower the risk of illnesses. Given that you’re more likely to fall sick in winter than in any other month, sleeping enough every night may help you achieve better health and wellbeing.

During sleep, your body releases cytokines, a type of protein that helps the body fight infection and strengthens the immune system. Why Am I Not Sleeping Well?

A sufficient amount of sleep has also been shown to control weight gain, lower the risk for chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, promote mental health, improve clarity and reduce stress.

6. Sitting less

Too much sitting is a sedentary habit that’s easy to develop during winter because there’s not much you can do outside if you are not working. So, you’re likely to end up on the couch watching TV all day long. But you can choose to be active even while at it. For example, try stretching from time to time or skipping or jogging on the spot. Dangers Of Sitting All Day Long.

You can also take a break and do some cleaning or organizing around the house. And if you feel like there’s nothing else you can do, try dancing.

Still on the same, set a target and use a tracker to achieve the same amount of steps as you would during the warmer months.

7. Always keep your skin clean and moisturized

In winter, cold temperatures and low humidity draw moisture away from the skin, making it susceptible to drying and cracking. This may act as an entry point for bacteria and other disease-causing pathogens to invade. So ensure your skin is well protected by applying a good quality moisturizer and drinking adequate amounts of water.

8. Avoid smoking

Smoking increases your risk of respiratory infections and cold seasons make it worse. Besides, smoking causes lower immunity and causes inflammation, the root cause of most chronic conditions.

Try to limit how often you smoke if you can’t let it go all at once.

Some healthy tips to try include:

Changing your drink. Studies show that drinking fizzy drinks, cola, alcohol, or coffee makes cigarettes taste better. So try drinking more water or homemade juice instead.
Identifying when you crave cigarettes – A craving lasts approximately 5 minutes, so come up with something to distract you for those 5 minutes, such as getting busy in the kitchen, leaving the party for a few minutes, or reaching for a glass of water or fruit.
Make non-smoking friends or surrounding yourself with non-smokers, especially when at a party.

Final thoughts on how to stay healthy in winter:

The winter months are known to cause low immunity and many other health issues, including dry and cracked skin. However, there are things you can do to ensure your health and wellbeing are not affected.

These may include eating enough seasonal fruits and vegetables, drinking adequate amounts of water, ensuring fresh air even in locked rooms, getting adequate sleep, staying physically active, avoiding smoking, and keeping your skin moisturized.

How To Stay Healthy In Winter?