Five Tips for a Healthy Winter
Winter is almost here, and with it comes the inevitable plethora of sicknesses. The flu, the cold, the sniffles, the aches and the calling in sick to work because you just can’t hack it. You don’t have to become a victim of the cootie bugs this year; there are simple and effective ways to keep the germs at bay and your health insurance company happy! Here are the top five tips to keep your health in winter.
1-Wash those hands. And then wash them again. One of the best ways to make sure that germs don’t get you is to wash your hands. Simplistic? Yes, but if you’re meticulous about washing your hands after you shake hands with people, use public restrooms (or any restroom at all, let’s stay hygienic here people), cough or sneeze, touch handles of public doors…you get the picture. If you think you might feel self conscious about running off to the bathroom every 3 minutes, grab yourself a handy little bottle of hand sanitizer and carry it around with you.
2-Cover it up. Common courtesy to some, an afterthought to others, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze is a great way to prevent the spread of winter germs. Obviously, you would want to refer back to tip #1 for how to handle your hands once you’d sneezed into them. For kids who are forever putting their hands all over everything, try encouraging them to cough or sneeze into the crook of their elbow instead of their hands. This way you won’t be chasing them around with a bottle of hand sanitizer every time they cough.
3-Exercise. When temperatures drop and the snow hits the ground (in some parts of the country), people obey their ancestral instincts and want to stay inside and pack in the food in order to survive the winter. Well, we live in a modern society where food should hopefully be readily available, so there’s no real excuse for sitting on your tush and eating the winter away. Staying active and exercising is one of the best ways to stay healthy during the winter. Whether it’s winter activities like skiing or snowboarding, building a snowman with your kids, walking with a friend or hiking with your dogs, aim to get at least 30 minutes of heart-thumping exercise every day. This will not only help keep your weight and heart healthy, but will help keep your immune system balanced and ready to attack any invading germ parties.
4-Eat those veggies. I live in Michigan, having moved here from growing up in temperate California my entire life. I’m used to a year round bounty of beautiful produce, and never experienced how produce changes with the seasons. Here in the Midwest, there are very much seasons for all of the fruits and vegetables I’m so used to devouring thoughtlessly, and come winter time when the Farmer’s Market is closed, fresh produce can be hard to find. Whether you live somewhere where the produce ebbs and flows with the seasons or not, continuing to focus on a healthy and balanced diet is key to staying healthy during the winter. If you can’t find a good variety of fresh produce, seek out things like frozen blueberries or mixed berries, frozen spinach, and so on. Vegetables in the freezer section are picked and frozen at their peak, so they’ve retained all of their vitamin and nutritional goodness. The same can’t be said for canned vegetables, so pick frozen when you can. Learn what is in season (we’ve got snow on the ground now but I can still fill my basket with fresh winter squashes and root vegetables like parsnips) and tailor your diet around that.
5-Please try not to…With all of these “do’s” for how to stay healthy this winter, there are certainly some “don’t” items you should consider as well. Please don’t smoke. It is never healthy, and studies show that smokers have more frequent and severe colds, and the secondary smoke for those around you can dry out nasal passages and make people more susceptible to respiratory illnesses. Drink alcohol only in moderation. Alcohol leads to dehydration and damages your immune system. Manage stress. During the holiday season, it can be easy to let the stress consume you, so make sure you’re keeping a calm and level head and not getting too run down.
Doctors and health insurance also play a vital roll in your healthy and well being this winter. Talk to your existing doctor about their ideas around keeping in tip top condition, or visit other areas of this site to learn more about what health insurance options might work best for you. Your body will thank you for it come spring.
photo credits (in the order of their appearance): alyssa snyder; (Tres); Material Boy; stop.down
June 11th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
It’s excellent to follow MRP programs. I try to keep the options, but I’ve found that doing exercises like fast walking following a meal or often even workout routines that enhance the body movement aids to bring down the glucose level.