As the days get shorter and the temperature drops, it’s easy to feel tired and a little out of sync with your routine. But winter doesn’t have to be a season of low energy. With a few easy hacks, you can boost your health and feel your best all winter long. Here are some simple and effective winter health hacks that can help you stay energized and grounded throughout the season.
1. Eat seasonally
Winter is a great time to enjoy hearty and warming meals that nourish you.Â
Here in the Midwest, we don’t have a lot of fresh produce available locally in the winter (of course, we always have microgreens available!).Â
Focus on foods that help keep you warm and energized throughout the day. Winter vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes, turnips, beets, and winter squash are packed with vitamins and minerals. Eating animal protein and fat also keeps your energy and body temperatures up. Try making soups, stews, or casseroles — warm, nourishing meals are important this time of year.Â
Cooking with warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, and turmeric (and of course lots of garlic and onion!) can also help keep your circulation up and support your immune system.
2. Get Outside, especially at Sunrise and Sunset
Making time to be outside, enjoying nature and breathing fresh air, helps keep you grounded in the winter, when most of your time is spent indoors. Plan fun outdoor winter activities like playing in the snow, snowshoeing, skiing, or simply walking to keep a strong connection to the earth.
Catching the sunrise and sunset does wonders for your health if you’re able to be outside (or even in a car with a cracked window) to soak up the specific UVA and UVB rays present during these times of the day.
Exposure to natural light, especially during sunrise and sunset, helps keep your circadian rhythm, or internal body clock, set to the right time (see more on this in #3).
3. Mitigate Blue Light
Artificial blue light, present in technology, refrigerators, and most modern LED lightbulbs, disrupts our bodies’ natural circadian rhythm. With the nights being so long this time of year, many people are exposed to blue light all day up until they try to fall asleep. Blue light tells our bodies that it is mid-day, which severely inhibits our melatonin production at night and lowers the restorative quality of our sleep. We use blue light blocking glasses and they have really made a difference in our day to day energy levels- plus now we sleep like babies!!
4. be slower on purpose
Winter is a natural time for slowness and hibernation-like behavior. Our bodies’ natural response to the dark and cold months is to slow down, cozy up, and be more inwardly focused. Now is a great time to finally do that one thing you always think about doing but never seem to have the time! Whether it’s doing yoga, meditating, baking, reading, journaling, doing puzzles, or taking baths, scheduling time for a peaceful indoor activity can really give you something to look forward to at the end of the day.
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How do you stay well in the winter? We would love to hear from you!
