Ways to Stay Healthy During Winter

Posted on November 12, 2013 by

Winter has the unfortunate reputation of bad health because of a few things: First, the chill brings with it the common cold, influenza, and other infections that make people sick. Second, because it's dark and cold outside, people tend to stay indoors and become sedentary. Furthermore, the weather somehow influences people to eat more and crave unhealthy food. Apparently, the urge to gorge is a primitive impulse that pushes us to accumulate calories for the looming cold weather.

But despite the factors going against us, we shouldn't let the chilly weather keep us from having a great winter. In fact, you can stay active and in the pink even when it's cold, gloomy weather forecast notwithstanding. Here are several ways you can stay healthy during winter:

Exercise regularly

It's tempting to just stay home, put on layers of clothing, and not do anything during the cold season. This, however, would result in sluggishness, a weaker immune system, poor quality of sleep, higher risk of illness, and extra pounds. If you want to avoid these difficulties and stay healthy during winter, then you need to get active by exercising regularly.

To build up your immune system, your exercise should increase your heart rate for at least 20 minutes three times in a week. If you can commit to taking a brisk walk five times a week, then you can better fight off the common cold. But before you aggressively ramp up your exercise, know that overexerting yourself can cause your body to release cortisol, a hormone that supresses your immune system.

Fortify your immune system

It's necessary to boost your immune system during the winter season because viruses are common during this time. You can achieve this by getting more antioxidants like vitamin C, beta carotene, zinc, and vitamin E into your system by eating more brightly coloured fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, berries, grapes, and sweet potatoes. You can also take food supplements to help ward off contagions and illnesses.

Sleep well

Notice how easily you catch a cold when you don't have enough sleep? That's because fatigue makes you vulnerable to illnesses. According to studies, your body won't produce enough antibodies if you lack sleep. The solution: sleep for at least seven to eight hours to stay healthy. If you're having difficulty sleeping, stay away from caffeine and cigarettes. By exercising, you'll improve the quality of your sleep.

Wash your hands frequently

One of the ways germs are spread is through your hands. These microorganisms can live on doorknobs, tables, light switches, and all sorts of surfaces for up to a day. Once you touch these surfaces and then touch your face, the germs are transferred to your nose, mouth, eyes, and ears--and this will make you sick. Since people touch their faces around 16 times in an hour or once every three minutes, the chance of getting germs is pretty high. Reduce the odds by washing your hands frequently.

Take a flu shot

Getting a flu vaccine will build up antibodies that will protect you against infection. A flu shot or nasal spray vaccine is 70 per cent to 90 per cent effective, but since flu viruses keep changing (new viruses emerge every year), you'll need to get vaccinated every 12 months to keep up. Take note that flu shot antibodies take about two weeks to develop and provide protection so until the medicine kicks in, you're still at risk for catching the flu.

Drink plenty of water

Don't forget to drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. This is especially important during winter, where you might not feel thirsty as often because of the cold. If you don't drink enough water and get dehydrated, you might get headaches, lower blood pressure, dry skin, tiredness, and even insomnia. More importantly, your kidneys wouldn't be as effective in taking out the toxins and wastes in your body.

You can avoid these problems if you drink at least 3 litres of water each day. Aside from quenching your thirst, drinking water helps you maintain the balance of your body fluids, prevents constipation, revitalises your muscles, improves your skin, controls your weight, and helps your kidneys.

Eat healthy

It's tempting to eat comfort food during winter. Unfortunately, comfort food is typically high in fat, salt, and/or sugar. If this unhealthy diet becomes a habit, then you're only hurting yourself. As mentioned earlier, you have to regularly include fruits and vegetables in your diet to strengthen your immune system. If you're having difficulty integrating fruits and vegetables in your diet, consider juicing them by combining both in one drink. Try mixing the following:

  • 2 beets
  • 1 orange
  • 2 apples
  • One fourth of a ginger root
  • 2 cloves of garlic (leave the skin on when juicing)

Take care of your skin

Cold weather can make your skin dry and itchy, and contribute to skin problems like chilblains or eczema if you're not careful. Such concerns may be caused by reduced circulation (because of thick clothes) or dehydration (for not drinking enough water). When this happens, apply some moisturiser and/or calamine lotion on your skin to keep it from drying and itching; drink more water to hydrate; take vitamin E supplements and exercise regularly to improve blood circulation; wear woollen or cotton socks; and put on sunblock to protect your skin. If you or your family members have eczema, drink fish oil supplements for their omega-3 content, which would help in controlling the itch.

Improve your circulation

Circulation (or lack of it) sometimes becomes a problem during winter months because of the warm clothes we wear, which protect us from the cold weather. The problem occurs when warm clothes affect the circulation. So unless you can stand the cold while indoors (or have the financial muscle to turn on the heater), you might have to ditch the warm clothes when you're at home, especially if it's causing circulation problems. To improve your body's circulation, try the following activities:

  • Exercise regularly
  • Eat a gram of dried ginger daily
  • Drink plenty of (warm/room temperature) water
  • Get a massage
  • Take a warm bath

Laugh with your friends

Socialising with friends is a great way to boost your immune system. It reduces your stress, keeps you moving, and prevents you from hibernating. Besides, laughter also helps decrease stress hormones like cortisol, dopac, and epinephrine; increases certain white blood cells that fight infections; and trigger the release of endorphins, a hormone that reduces pain sensations. Mirth is so powerful that merely anticipating something funny already affects the immune system in a good way.

Here's a bonus suggestion to fill out this list: stay away from people that sneeze and cough. It may seem evident, but some don't always do so. And you know what? Even if you follow the tips above, you are still likely to catch something if you hang around people with a cold or the flu. An ounce of prevention, after all, is much better than a pound of cure.

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