5 Ultimate Wellness Tips for a Joyful Winter!!
Get Outdoors!! There’s a winter wonderland waiting for you right outside your door!! Winter activities such as ice skating, snowshoeing, skiing, camping, and even building a fort to have a snowball fight are great ways to get much needed exercise and Vitamin D during the winter months. You can even go on a hike and along the way collect twigs and sticks to build a campfire for roasting organic hot dogs or fruit and veggie kabobs. Tending a winter garden or visiting a local farm to harvest winter veggies are other ideas to keep active during colder months.
Introspection and Self-care: As the days are shorter and plant and animal life retreat underground, winter presents an awesome opportunity for quiet introspection. Journal-ling, meditation and prayer, starting or continuing a yoga practice, creative writing, re-visiting New Year’s resolutions or taking a moment to schedule time with a counselor or just a chat with a close friend over tea are all great ways to retreat inward for some much needed personal TLC.
Lend a Helping Hand: Being generous has mood-boosting benefits. Shoveling snow for elderly or disabled neighbors, volunteering at a soup kitchen, participating in food and clothes drives or volunteering your specific expertise to an under-served community are just a few ways of gifting joy to others during this winter season.
Comfort Winter Foods: Some people may think about mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, sugar cookies or pumpkin pie when they think of winter comfort foods, but during this season staying hydrated and eating anti-inflammatory nutrient dense foods keeps us healthy and less susceptible to catching colds. Hearty greens and mineral packed root veggies like collards, kale, chard, yams, beets, carrots and more can be roasted or added to soups, chili, and stews making a bowl of hot comfy goodness!
Sunny Supplements and Other Therapies
With shorter days and colder temperatures, it can be harder to get much needed Vitamin D from the sun. Couple this with the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or commonly called the winter blues and some people may have a harder time keeping a chipper mood during this season. Taking an Omega 3 fatty acid along with Vitamin D3 have been shown to lift mood in people who tend to be deficient. Adding a probiotic for gut health can help seal the gap between that gut and brain connection.
Other therapies, such as citrus scented aromatherapy oils and essential oils like lavender and rosemary have both calming and mood lifting qualities when used in a diffuser. Also, trying out light therapy starting in the fall for about 30 minutes in the morning has been shown to improve symptoms associated with SAD. Enjoy!!
If you need more personalized help in feeling your best during these cold months, contact me at info@lyniseperrynutrition.com and inquire about working with me on your wellness journey.
S/N: For a list of my favorite immune supportive nutrients, check out my Cold and Flu Support Protocol to get ready for this fall and winter season.
