The Top 10 Ways to Better Your Health This Winter

The winter months are usually full of cold, gloomy, and sometimes rainy weather. With this comes less outdoor activity, sedentary tendencies, and fatigue due to the lack of sunlight. Winter is when the holidays are, which can be hard on our bodies with all the holiday food we enjoy. Why is the winter so hard on our bodies? What if I told you there are some simple yet very effective ways to stay healthy in the winter months. In today’s article, I will give you the top 10 ways to stay mentally and physically fit in the winter months.

Why Is Winter So Hard On Our Body?

In the winter months, our body goes into a state of rest and recovery. This is why we usually want to sleep more, eat more, and move less. Due to the extreme weather changes in the winter, our body uses much more energy throughout the day to stay warm. With the sun setting early and rising later, we do not get enough sunlight, which drains our energy, making us too tired to stay motivated enough to do anything.

During the winter, our body also increases blood flow to keep our extremities warm and our immunological cells on high alert to keep us from getting sick. This is why we suffer more in winter because our body works twice as hard to stay healthy. It is constantly inflammatory, which is also why diabetes and other diseases flare up in the winter. When we do not move our bodies, eat the right foods, and take the correct supplements, it puts us at risk for illnesses, seasonal depression, and more.

Why Is Winter So Difficult for My Mental Health?

The winter is associated with less light exposure, one of the essential aspects of a healthy body and mind. Vitamin D is responsible for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, both important in bone density and hormone balance. Your body receives a majority of its vitamin d through the skin. If you work indoors in the winter, getting enough sun exposure to get the proper amount of vitamins can be challenging. If you live somewhere cloudy or indoors more than outdoors, you struggle with feelings of depression and lack of motivation. Take a good Vitamin D3 supplement (around 5000 IUs) to boost your levels and see an improvement in your mood.

When the time changes in the fall, it leaves us less exposure to sunlight, which creates an imbalance in our wake and sleep cycles (Circadian rhythm). Every 24 hours, this clock resets, and it controls our metabolism, recovery, and hormone balance. The imbalance in their serotonin and melatonin levels causes a change in their mood, energy levels, food cravings, and more. This is why most people crave sweets, caffeine, and other unhealthy foods because of the imbalance in their sleep.

How Can I Better My Body

In the winter months, it is understandable to feel unmotivated and tired. However, there are ways to take better care of yourself. Here are five ways you can better your body in the winter months;

Exercise 2-6 times a week- Time management is a massive problem in the winter months because we have less daylight to get the things we want, giving us little to no room for exercise. You don’t have to work out every single day of the week to see results. You can exercise 2 times a week on the weekends for 30 minutes at a time and then go for short walks throughout the week until the summer. Exercise is not all about getting in fantastic shape; it is about sustaining life and living a healthy lifestyle. The more we move, the happier our body and mind feel. Just by going on walks after meals, you increase your metabolism, digestion, and circulation. The more we move, the better our blood pressure is, our blood sugar becomes regulated, we create more energy in our cells, and much more. Incorporate just 2-6 days of physical movement for 15-30 minutes.

Eat Foods rich in nutrients- Along with moving our body enough, we want to eliminate the toxic foods from our diet. Ultra-processed foods, fast food, sodas, etc., are all the primary sources of inflammation, which cause our body to hold on to stored fat, raise our blood pressure, and cause diabetes, arthritis, and other harmful illnesses. Combined with a stressful lifestyle, it is a recipe for disaster in your mental and physical health. To avoid weight gain and depressive symptoms, incorporate more nutrient-dense foods such as pasture-raised eggs, fatty fish, grass-fed beef, Greek yogurt, kefir, sweet potatoes, squash, cucumber, dandelion, asparagus, beets, fresh berries, avocados, spinach, and pomegranate. There are so many excellent sources of nutrients out there that you can include in your diet to prevent disease and improve your quality of life. These foods are all rich in essential nutrients such as choline, which is excellent for brain function, also crucial amino acids that are also great for muscle synthesis and brain function.

Quality B vitamins, polyphenols, flavones, and antioxidants are great for hormone balance, your nervous system, cancer-fighting phytonutrients, prebiotics fiber to help digestion, and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, vitamins C, D, K, and E are fat-soluble vitamins that are great for your skin, brain, immune system, and hydration.

The food we eat gives us energy, so the more nutrients we consume, the better we will feel and the more power we will have.

Take the proper supplements- many people need more vitamins and minerals and need to realize it. If you feel fatigued, have depressive symptoms, have low energy, and have anxiety, you could be deficient in essential vitamins that your body needs to function. Some of the vitamins you may be deficient in or may need more of in your diet are;

1. Vitamin D3

2. Magnesium

3. B-12

4. Omega 3- fish oil

5. Probiotic

If you need more nutrients, try including some of the above supplements. Also, double-check with your doctor before adding any new accessories to your diet to ensure they do not interact with your current medications.

Spend time in the sun when you can- I know this is limited in the winter, but on the days the sun is out, get as much sunlight as possible. It has been shown that the more sunlight you get, the better your mood will be, strengthening your bones and immune system. It improves your sleep quality by balancing your circadian rhythm and kills many bacteria we receive from being indoors throughout the day. I recommend sitting in the sun for 15-20 minutes daily for maximum benefits. Also, practicing gratitude journaling or meditation in the sun increases overall serotonin and oxytocin levels, enhancing your longevity and detoxing negative emotions.

Spend time with family and loved ones- Since we are inside more in the winter, take advantage of the time you have available to spend with those you love. This also increases oxytocin and serotonin levels, keeping us in a calm and loving state, which are critical for heart, gut, and brain function. Take your family on a walk in the sunshine, cook healthy food in the kitchen, go shopping for the right supplements together, play board games, have deep conversations, and be childlike. All of these are activities we can do to stay vibrant and young.

How Can You Improve Your Mental Health

Our mental health is fragile these days, especially in months when there is no sunlight and the weather is crazy. So we must have habits and routines that set our mental health up for success; the following tactics are for just that.

Have things to look forward to- We need excitement, especially in the winter months, and having a vacation, event, sport, or anything that will keep you thinking about how much fun that will be compared to how you feel right then. For example, let’s say you have a trip to the beach planned in march or April. Having that trip will keep you more motivated than having nothing to look forward to if you don’t have a trip planned. Journal what you miss in the summer and think of everything you will do when summer returns. Keeping positive and motivating thoughts at the forefront of our minds helps keep our bodies and minds connected to something bigger than we are.

Listen to uplifting music- Music has so much power, and most don’t even realize it. A study was conducted on the worst and best music for our brains. They performed this study based on how the lyrics and hertz of the music affected our mood and behavior patterns. What was found was that classical music or instrumental music was the best for our brains because it evokes peaceful, soothing, and meditative states of mind. The second best was country music due to its happy, upbeat lyrics and use of classical instruments. The worst music for our brains is hip hop/ rap and heavy metal rock due to the harsh vocals and intense beats that can disrupt our thinking patterns. If you want less anxiety and stress, listen to classical music as you work; it has been shown to build neuroplasticity (a term for making new neurons in the brain.

Practice mindful breathing- This is a standard go-to when you feel down, anxious or depressed. Taking just a couple of minutes to focus on your breath can dramatically decrease feelings of anxiety and depression.

The best way to practice this is to have a mental room for your mindfulness practice. No matter where you are, you can meditate at your favorite place. The way this works is you begin by getting comfortable; then you close your eyes drop your shoulders take one big deep breath in, and then exhale. After this, you put yourself into your favorite place and imagine yourself there; for example, let’s say you love mountains, so you put yourself at the top of a mountain and can feel the wind blowing across your face. You can see the sun setting or rising or whatever your favorite part of a situation. Why is this important because it gets you focused on the things that make you feel joy, peace, and happiness, which are all positive evoking emotions which will boost the effects of the breath work. I recommend breath work 1-2 times daily for 2-10 minutes.

Journal your thoughts when stressed- When we feel stressed, our brain is like a mason jar; it only has so much room before it starts to flow over. When our minds overflow, it leads to anxiety, stress, frustration, and shutting down. How do we prevent or get out of this type of situation? A journal is one of the best tools you can keep with you; taking just a few minutes to journal about what you feel can dramatically decrease the emotions you feel and get you back focused and energized. It allows you to express how you think and process your thoughts which will empty the mason jar. After the jar is empty, I always recommend filling it with positive, uplifting thoughts, like writing down what you are grateful for and the things you love about yourself. I recommend journaling one time a day for 10-15 minutes.

Don’t be afraid of asking for help- Don’t be scared of telling someone what you are going through. If you are struggling, you are not alone, and many people out there want and can help. Each out to a therapist, health coach, life coach, friend, or family member that you trust and do not feel like you are a burden because you are not. You are loved and deserve to be listened to.

How Can You Get Started Today

This week start by putting one of these ten tactics into practice, no matter what that may be, to start helping yourself get through these next couple of months as we head into spring. Taking care of yourself goes from the inside to the outside.