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If like many people you get caught up with how busy you are during the winter it is important to make sure that you take time to stop and make sure that you are taking care of your health. At Fit for Anything we of course focus on diet / nutrition as well as training specifics however what we really want you to enjoy is whole body wellness.
Take a minute to assess how winter has an effect on you and your health and take action to safeguard your wellness. It’s important!
Flu Jab
You lift weights, you run, you don’t need a flu jab, right? Wrong! If you are in any of the high risk groups such as have asthma, diabetes or a wealth of other risk factors (ask your GP service if you need to have one) then your flu jab is free and if offered should be taken. Not only does this protect you against flu but also stems the spread, particularly to those who are vulnerable, i.e. the young, older people or anyone with health concerns. It only takes a minute and is worth the effort.
Sleep More
It is natural to sleep more during this time of the year when the dark nights last longer. Embrace this! We all tend to build up a certain amount of so-called sleep debt with work, training and everything else going on so take this time to catch up. Your body will thank you for it.
Drink!
We’re not suggesting that you hit the mulled wine just yet however it is important to maintain your hydration levels during the winter, just as much as it is in summer-time. During the colder months central heating at home, at work and heating in the car all serve to dry you out. This is why many people blame their heating and the “dry” air for giving them headaches. You can combat this by ensuring you continue to monitor and top up your hydration levels. Don’t fancy a cold bottle of water? Go for hot water with lemon or fruit teas.
Winter Bugs, Colds and Remedies
It still astounds many that despite the amazing technological advances we’ve made, no-one has yet come up with a cure for the common cold! The spread of colds and bugs are something of a foregone conclusion when the winter sets in, with colds etc being passed around while everyone is indoors.
For many this time of the year is one where many seem more likely to fall prey to colds, flus and bugs and some believe that asides from people being in close quarters during the winter months, the lack of vitamin D they have in their systems have a lot to do with this. Vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin comes primarily from sunshine and seeing as we get much less of this during the winter it is understandable that our levels drop or dip.
As here in the UK we don’t enough sun during the winter to keep our levels topped up we need to source vitamin D from our food. This NHS page is a great source of information on how to do this and what vitamin D is all about.
Make sure that you eat well, stay warm and also stock up on natural remedies for seasonal sniffles and bugs, such as ginger and lemon (tried and tested) and before you know it, spring time will have arrived.