5 Organic Winter Wellness Ideas and Healthy Living Tips
Winter can be hard on some people, especially if they experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The cold months make it harder to prioritize overall wellness, which in turn just heightens any winter woes you might be having. Here are some natural, organic winter wellness ideas to stay happy and healthy all winter long. Even if some of these might seem obvious, it’s always good to have a reminder to follow these tips and chase away those winter blues.
1. Stay Hydrated
In cold, gray weather, it’s easy to forget to drink adequate water. No matter the temperature, water is integral to keep your body functioning properly. Water plays an important role in maintaining your skin, metabolism and even your emotional well-being. Chelsea Gross, a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach, suggests starting the day with a large glass of water with a squeeze of lemon. This gives your body a boost, wakes up your digestive system, and is also a great dose of vitamin C which helps to combat stress.
In an article on Mind Body Green, she writes, “My bonus tip is to fill up your glass of lemon water the night before and leave it on your nightstand. This way, right when you wake up it’s there waiting for you.” Other tips include adding a little apple cider vinegar to your water to help alkalize your body and sticking to warmer beverages, as these are more beneficial for gut health.
2. Keep Warm
Keeping warm through winter weather goes without saying, but it’s important to keep warm the right way. If you set your heater extremely high, your body will not acclimate to temperatures outside, putting it in a state of shock when you step out. Additionally, having the heat on high can shoot up your electricity bill and have a negative impact on the environment due to the inefficient energy use.
Instead, ensure that your heating remains at a stable temperature. Consider using an eco-friendly fireplace, or Ecofan, for your heating needs. This thermoelectric technology boasts an “impressive range of 12-18% in fuel savings with inherent eco-friendly benefits and off the grid utility, as well as increased efficiency benefits for homeowners who use it.” Other than heating devices, stay warm by layering up and dressing the part. Drink hot beverages like herbal teas and infusions to keep your core and insides warm and well looked after.
3. Walk It Out
While you might not be able to incorporate full exercise routines into your day, you should try to keep your body active through the cold. One way to do so is to include short walks into your daily schedule. This helps to keep your heart rate up, get some amount of sunlight, and acclimatize to the outside temperature.
As stated by experts at Organic Initiative, “Wrap up and get outside for a walk – sunlight, even in winter helps with essential Vitamin D production.” If you spend most of the bright part of the day indoors at work, consider going on a short stroll during your lunch break to take advantage of the light outside. When walking in the cold, you need to be aware of weather hazards like icy sidewalks, and icy roads with dangerous drivers — remember, if the weather is too extreme, prioritize your safety and stay indoors.
4. Take on a Project
Winter is a great time to complete indoor projects that you might have been putting off. It’s an especially good time to do some re-organizing and weed out things that you can get rid off. Deciding to complete a project gives you a goal to work towards and helps keep your mind active.
One such example is using the indoor time to reorganize your photos. This is a great winter project, and once you’re done organizing, you could replace your frames with different photos so as to give your living space a new look and feel. Another project you could take on is sorting out your closets and dressers. Donate clothes that don’t fit or ones that you don’t see yourself wearing and reorganize the rest by color and season. There is a great sense of satisfaction that comes from tidying up and finishing an errand that’s been on the backburner, and winter is the perfect time to do so.
5. Be Social
When it’s cold out, it’s easy to find excuses to stay indoors. It’s extremely tempting to “hibernate” and completely isolate yourself. While there’s nothing wrong with spending time alone, doing so regularly through the winter season can lead to low spirits. If you suffer from SAD, it’s even more important to take the effort to be social.
Visiting family, catching up with friends over a cup of coffee, or even going to community events where you’re forced to interact with other people are all great ways to lift your mood. Being a hermit through the cold may sound ideal at first, but it’s important to recognize when winter isolation becomes depressive and prevent this from happening.
As a cold, dark, wet time of the year, winter can sometimes affect our emotions and physical well-being. Yet, with the right winter wellness routine in place, this season can be one of tackling unfinished projects, catching up on rest, and just learning to be content. Include these five tips into your wellness to stay happy and healthy through the winter.
It’s so important to remember these simple things – they can really make a big difference 🙂
Hi,
Yes I agree it important to remember simple little like staying hydrated, staying warm and be social. Winter wellness if both physical health and our mental health with so little sunshine it is easy to get depressed. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Have a healthy, happy & blessed day.