10 Tips to Help You Stay Healthy & Strong During Winter

While fabulous bright sunny days have the power to lift up our positive emotions, and supercharge us with energy, dull winter days can do the exact opposite. In fact, science shows that less exposure to sunlight results in diminishing levels of our happy hormone serotonin, and this is a major reason why wintertime can leave us feeling down and depressed. On top of this, there’s a strong possibility that when we are transitioning through the winter months, we will get a cold or catch the flu. In fact: “according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are millions of cases of the common cold each year, and the average adult catches two to three colds every year. That means that you have a very good chance of having a cold during the winter”. So with all this stacked against us, let’s take a look at some super simple natural ways to activate our inner sunshine by boosting our immunity and well-being.

Number 1: Wash Your Hands Regularly

Follow this 4 Step guide:

1: Put your hands under clean warm or cold running water; then turn off the tap, and apply liquid antibacterial soap.

2: Rub your hands together to lather up the soap.

3: Scrub your hands with a gentle hand scrub brush (for a minimum of 20 seconds)

4: Finish by thoroughly rinsing your hands under clean warm or cold running water.

Number 2: Up Your Vitamin C Intake

According to the Mayo Clinic: “The link between vitamin C and mood might seem surprising, but people who have vitamin C deficiency often feel tired or depressed. Studies have shown that people who had lower than normal vitamin C levels, found that their mood improved after they received vitamin C. And even for people who aren’t known to have low vitamin C levels, taking a vitamin C supplement might help mood”. And on top of this driver to boost our happy emotions, vitamin C can also bump up our immunity to tackle winter. As the Harvard Nutrition Source notes: “Vitamin C plays a role in controlling infections, and is a powerful antioxidant that can neutralize harmful free radicals”

Number 3: Drink Lots of Mineral Water

Did you know that our mood improves when we drink more water? Research shows that when those of us who normally drink plenty of water, reduce our intake: we feel more tense, less content, and less calm. When scientists increased the study participants’ water intake, the latter felt happier, regardless of how much water they usually drank. On top of this, if you buy mineral water, then you will benefit from all the valuable essential minerals. For example, the mineral magnesium, plays a key role in developing serotonin, which is a major contributor to our feelings of happiness.

Number 4: Add Fresh Garlic to Your Meals

Not only does garlic rev up the way our food tastes, there is also research which suggests that our adrenal glands’ response to stress is affected by garlic. So if we consume it in our meals, the level of stress hormones we produce go down, and as a result, we feel less fatigued, sluggish, and stressed

Number 5: Cut Down on Refined Food & Sugar

The term “sugar rush” can be misleading, as to many, it sounds like a much needed boost for our energy and healthy emotions. However, in reality, the opposite is true. “Recent research indicates that sugary treats have no positive effect on mood. In fact, sugar may have the opposite effect over time. And one study found that consuming a diet high in sugar can increase the chances of incident mood disorders in men, and recurrent mood disorders in both men and women.

And when it comes to automatically putting refined food into our shopping carts, we need to be mindful that all it ultimately does, is lower our energy and mood due to its lack of naturally occurring nutrients. So try and makes some positive changes by slowly switching from nutrient-depleted white bread, to delicious wholegrain bread; and then substitute white rice and white pasta for the tasty healthy wholegrain variety.

Number 6: Stay Active & Enjoy Some Fresh Air

Are you aware that walking or jogging in the fresh air not only helps to clean out our lungs, it also rockets up our happy emotions, raises our energy level, improves our digestion, and lowers our heart rate? So try and get into the groove of spending twenty minutes to half an hour a day, going to a park or green space near your home or workplace.

Number 7: Get Quality Sleep Every Night

Harvard Education notes that: “Sleep and mood are closely connected; and that poor or inadequate sleep can cause irritability and stress, while healthy sleep can enhance well-being” [8]. So make sure that you get seven or eight hours of quality sleep every night. Turning off your computer and phone screens before bed time can help, as can having regular de-stressing massages.

Number 8: Eat Balanced Meals

In order to boost our emotions, we should ensure that we eat a daily selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acid rich food (e.g., salmon, tuna, sardines, nuts and seeds). Adding some dark green leafy veg to our plate, is also a wise move, as it is particularly brain protective (as are lentils, beans, and nuts)

Number 9: De-Stress for 10 Minutes a Day

Whether it’s just sitting down in quiet location; doing some light meditation listening to the background music from a relaxing YouTube video; doing some Tai Chi moves, or just focusing on our breathing, by inhaling in positivity, briefly holding our breath, and then breathing out negativity; we can blissfully release some of our stress stores, boost our energy, and lift our positive emotions.

Number 10: Get a Fantastic Home Massage Every Week

The winter season is well known for bringing on physical imbalance and discomfort; circulation issues, arthritis, and countless types of aches and pains that spring up all over our body. So what’s the best proven solution, that can regenerate our winter blues’ mind and body? The answer is, having a regular massage in the comfort of your own home!

Arranging for a highly trained professional massage therapist to ring on our door bell once a week, is one of the best treats we can give ourselves. And because remedial treatment will help promote our optimal mental and physical wellness; bolster our immunity, enhance our blood and lymph flow, increase our body temperature, naturally lower our blood pressure, and ameliorate our body function, all those around us will benefit from the new us – someone who is bursting with energy and uplifting emotions, regardless of what the weather!

 Sources

[1]. TRT World (2021). “How the cold and snow affects our brains and emotions.”
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/how-the-cold-and-snow-affects-our-brains-and-emotions-43387#:~:text=Less%20exposure%20to%20sunlight%20leads,decreasing%20our%20feelings%20of%20depression.

[2]. Phillips, H. (2022). “11 Natural Ways to Boost Your Immunity During the Winter.” CNET.
https://www.cnet.com/health/medical/11-natural-ways-to-boost-your-immunity-during-the-winter/

[3]. Bauer, B. A. (2022). “Can Vitamin C Improve Mood?” Mayo Clinic.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/benefits-vitamin-c/faq-20058271

[4]. Harvard Nutrition Source (2020). “Vitamin C.”
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-c/

[5]. Stanborough. R. J. (2020). “Dehydration and Anxiety: How to Keep Calm and Hydrate On. “Healthline.
https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/dehydration-and-anxiety

[6]. Conte, P. (2018). “Five foods that will change your mood.”
https://coach.nine.com.au/diet/five-foods-that-will-change-your-mood/3e3a9f08-50be-4ef9-915d-93f978483a3e

[7]. Lindberg, S, & Kelly, E. (2020). “Your Anxiety Loves Sugar. Eat These 3 Things Instead.” Healthline.
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/how-sugar-harms-mental-health

[8]. Harvard Medical (2008). “Sleep and Mood.”
https://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood

[9]. NIH (2022). “Omega-3 Fatty Acids.”
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer/##[10]

[10]. Cedars Sinai (2010). “Adults Demonstrate Modified Immune Response After Receiving Massage, Cedars-Sinai Researchers Show.”
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/newsroom/adults-demonstrate-modified-immune-response-after-receiving-massage-cedars-sinai-researchers-show/