As winter comes, many things have to change from our foods to the body. It is quite difficult to manage with low temperatures. As the winter season comes, it limits the immunity. Cold weather causes lower body temperature and makes the body undergo thermoregulation to manage the new climate. Sometimes this weather change causes many seasonal diseases. However, taking precautions during the winter season helps to prevent health problems in winter.
Winter is the season to promote the immune system and nurture the human body. Eating nourishing foods, staying warm and active is important during winter.
Healthy Diet Or Food For The Body In Winter
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Well, a balanced diet is necessary to stay warm in winter. Adding certain foods to your daily diet helps to keep you healthy and prevent diseases in winter. Here are the necessary foods.
Honey
Honey is hot and its regular eating helps to keep the body warm. It is one of the ideas that excessive honey is not recommended in summer. Also, honey is commonly used for decreasing flu, cough, and cold by stimulating the immune system. Therefore, sip on some honey with hot water every day.
Sesame seeds
Sesame seeds are another warm food to add to the winter diet. These seeds also consist of calcium and iron, which helps to strengthen muscles and bones. You can soak some sesame seeds overnight and eat in the morning with some jaggery to increase the warm feeling.
Root Vegetables
Root vegetables also provide a warm feeling during winter. You can choose turnip, radish, and sweet potatoes. Root vegetables help to keep the body warm and take time to digest food. You can add it to a different salad.
Ginger
Ginger gives thermogenic qualities that help keep warm during winter. It also helps in improving metabolism and blood flow. You can consume a warm cup of ginger tea in the morning.
Dry Fruits
Dry fruits such as cashew, almonds, and raisins help to create heat in the body. They also help to cure Anaemia and different diseases that occurred by vitamin and iron deficiency. All you need to eat them raw or add in milk or salad.
Tulsi
Tulsi is an ancient herb to help with cold winter. It consists of rich vitamin C, zinc, iron, and A, which helps the body to fight cold diseases like cough, cold, respiratory problems, and sinus problems. Having raw tulsi leaves helps to promote immunity and increase warm feeling in cold weather.
Eggs
Eggs are a superfood with huge demand in winter. They are a powerhouse of high energy and contain good vitamins and proteins, which helps to keep the body warm in winter. The egg is dense in nutrient food containing beneficial compounds.
Eggs are high protein food providing 6-gm of protein in a medium-sized egg. Protein is useful for making antibodies to prevent infection.
It also provides food fats and prevents from eating unhealthy fats. This healthy fat helps in cell growth, protect organs, and keeps the body warm.
Eggs also provide vitamin D, which is essential for entire body functions. Winter does not have much sun, so, you can get vitamin D from eggs.
It also provides a good amount of zinc, vitamin B6, and B12 to strengthen the immune system and prevent harmful viruses and bacteria.
Clarified Butter/Ghee
Clarified butter is also helpful for the body in winter. It assists in digestion, increases immunity, prevents constipation, and prevent flu and cold. You can add some drops of butter over your meal during lunch and dinner.
Exercise
Physical activity is necessary to keep warm and fit throughout the winter. Everyday exercise or yoga help to promote the immune system and keep you warm against seasonal cold and flu.
1.Walking
Walking is good exercise during winter. Morning walk helps to get you vitamin D from sunlight and strengthen bone health. According to Wheaton-Franciscan-Healthcare, getting only 15 minutes of sun on the face and hands 2-3 times every week get you vitamin D. Sun exposure induces vitamin D in the skin and bone to absorb calcium.
1.A.Boost your mood
Walking in winter also boosts mood and helps the body to stay warm. It releases tension and depression by releasing endorphins. Many people think that you must work out more to trigger endorphin release. However, a moderate amount of workout lasting 20-3- minutes can cause endorphin release. If you are new to workout you may feel a stronger effect of endorphins than the person who has continually doing exercise since the brain does not use the endorphin rush.
1.B.Burn Extra Calories
Different ways of walking in winter may help to burn extra calories and stay fit. Being cold helps to burn more calories as the body needs to work hard to manage core temperature. Therefore, walking in the winter helps to burn more calories.
2.Running
Running during cold weather may help to burn excess fat. The chilled temperature may change the unwanted fat to other fats, which burns calories. Consider the fat in the body is not the same. There is brown, white, and other shade. White fat is what everyone thinks unhealthy fat. Brown fat is the metabolic tissue, which burns calories. That means running a workout in winter could help to burn calories and change body composition.
2.A.Winter Is Ideal For Running
Cold weather is suitable for running, says Tom Holland, a workout physiologist, author of The Marathon Method, and sports performance coach. The cold weather of winter prevents high heat stress in the body.
2.B.Running in winter prevent weight gain
Going to the gym is challenging in the winter season. Commonly, everyone eats more in cold weather, which may cause weight gain. However, running increase the excess calorie burning and lose weight.
2.C.Running also prevent sad feeling
During cold weather many people experience Seasonal-Affect-Disorder (SAD),” Holland says. Running benefit to release the strong hormones that reduce depression, promote a positive mood.
2.D. Running Increase in Metabolism
Evolutionary theory says that human bodies are programmed to store the fat in winter and slow down metabolism in response to reduce workout levels. Running in winter trick the body and prevent seasonal slowdown of metabolism and maintain a healthy weight.
3.Zumba
A Zumba is another type of interesting exercise to choose during winter. It benefits the overall body and makes you enjoy other exercises. It will burn more calories and make you learn different moves to lose weight. Also, increase endurance and improve core strength.
3.A. Stress Reliever
Zumba is the best workout to relieve stress and make you relax. It makes you free of all stress.
3.B. Indoor Sports
Sometimes winter and cold days feel like a never-ending year, which makes you stay at home more time. Indoor sports are another good exercise to do on winter days to prepare our body.
3.C. Squash
Squash is a sport with ball use, which can be played with multiple players or solo at home. The players require alternatively to hit the ball with their racket on the room surface. It is a high-intensity sport and will have you sweat in no time.
Make sure you perform warm-up and cool down for this exercise. Make sure to notice and skip the slippery surface that can cause serious injury.
3.D. Netball
Another famous sport to play at home is Netball. It is popular in New Zealand and Australia. This game is played between 2-teams of 7-players. The game takes place on a rectangular court with lifted baskets as goals. It is a high-intensity exercise to build skills for teamwork. It is also a fun workout that can be enjoyed with family and friends.
3.E. Rock Climbing
You can also do indoor rock-climbing during winter. This sport is physically demanding and shape your upper body and increase strength. If you are a beginner, then try bouldering, which is climbing less height without the harness on safety mats. It provides more benefits to the body than other ball games with fun. This game requires constant effort, and do not expect results in one time.
3.F. Table- Tennis
Another good indoor game to keep your body active is table-tennis during winter. It gives the best work to your heart with a ping-pong table at home. Performing this exercise helps burn calories in cold seasons and prepare your body.
4.Skin Trouble
During the winter season, the whole body’s skin needs care because dry air causes to increase skin dryness. Cold weather may cause chapped lips, itchy skin, and cracked heels. Here are the skincare ways to prepare your body for winter.
4.A. Choose A Suitable Cleanser
Numerous high road skin cleanser agents contain harsh synthetics, which can be harmful instead of nourishing. Fixings, for example, liquor and any additional scents, won’t help for dry, broken skin, as they strip away normal oils. Cream-based chemicals, for example, this current Neal’s-Yard-Frankincense one, will help keep the dampness meanwhile still taking off the day’s earth and make-up.
4.B. Exfoliate
It could be the keep going thing at the forefront of your thoughts when you have dry, itchy skin, yet there are advantages to exfoliating your skin during winter. Not exclusively will it remove the dry, dead skin cells. However, it likewise causes you to recover new ones. Your skin will thank you for utilizing common remedies, dead cleanser like this orange scrub.
4.C. Keep Your Showers Session Short
During cold days, then you might feel not to take bath or take long hot showers. However, long and hot showers or baths are not suitable for skin health. Excessive hot water causes to dehydrates the skin of the whole body because it will remove the necessary oil from the skin. Later your skin will feel itchy and red.
4.D. Choose a natural moisturizer
Moisturizer is necessary during winter. Use moisturizer quickly after wash helps face and body skin to remain hydrated. Make sure to choose a water-based and suitable moisturizer for your skin. Continue skin routine to prepare your body for winter.
5.E. Protect from the elements
No doubt, winter is harsher on your skin than summer. Out in the open, we may have a common lip balm to deal with dry, dried out lips, yet we need more than that. The mix of low moistness in addition to those solid, irritating winds can prompt awkwardly dry skin, so make sure to wrap up. A scarf and gloves are necessary to secure your hands and the sensitive skin on your neck. These scarves and gloves by Ally Bee are loveable, which are made of very delicate alpaca and sheep’s fleece for negligible irritation.
5.F. Sunscreen
Some people think sunscreen is only for summer days or while going out in sun. That is not true sunscreen also necessary during winter to prevent harmful UVs effects. Choose at least SPF 30 protection sunscreen. If you sweat more, then keep applying sunscreen after every 2-3 hours. Do not neglect to apply sunscreen on the neck, back, ears, chin, and every visible part of the sun.
Hydration
Drink enough water to prepare your body for winter. Drinking sufficient water helps to cleanse the system and eliminate toxins and carry nutrients to body cells to manage body fluids.
It is essential to stay hydrated during cold days. Make sure to drink water to skip dehydration.
Also, drink water while doing exercise on a winter day to keep your whole body active and hydrate.
Don’t skip thirst and make timings of drinking water every day.
Consume vegetables and fruits with more water content to stay hydrated.
Watch out for your body requirement for water, as some people feel more frequent urination in winter. But still, do not skip drinking water.
Boost Your Humidity
Dry winter air causes dry skin. Keeping a humidifier in the home and bedroom helps to prevent moisture loss from the skin. Some research suggests that humans are more prone to airborne viruses when humidity is less. Increasing humidity helps to relieve sinus congestion, dry throat, and coughing. The air in the humidity level should be 40-50%. Overdoing can cause respiratory problems.
Sleep
Winter nights are longer than normal nights due to cold temperatures. Sleeping at low temperatures can be challenging. The human body needs to cool down for falling asleep. Therefore, being in a colder environment can be beneficial. It does not cold weather make you feel sleepy, but it can be uncomfortable for some people.
The common temperature to sleep is around 18°C. Therefore, colder than normal room temperature may affect sleep. It means it is often easier to have good quality sleep in winter than on humid summer season nights.
But winter can also make it excessively challenging to set up the night sleep environment for rest.
During winter, you may feel cold in the day and turn on the heater, which affects the body’s natural ability to cool the system, and struggle to fall asleep or maintain deep sleep.
Improve Your Sleep During Winter
Here are essential things to follow to prevent feeling sleepy during winter and improve sleep quality.
Sleep in A Cool and Calm Place
Your bedroom should be calm, dark, and cool with a light display of contrasting as much as an outer light.
Go for A Walk
As mentioned above walking is good in winter, it also good for sleeping better on cold days. Walking helps to balance your energy levels and kick start circadian rhythm.
Ditch the Alcohol
During the winter season, one of the biggest problems for the body is linked with the festive season and irregular sleep with more alcohol. There is more pressure to drink alcohol at parties. Though in the small consumption of alcohol behaves like a drug and disrupts the sleep quality. Therefore, avoid alcohol as much as possible.
Hygiene
Maintaining hygiene is necessary to prepare the body for winter. It will prevent viruses and bacteria spread in the body.
Have Regular Health Checkup
Winter season precautions also include keeping track of your overall health. As cold weather induces health problems like flu, asthma, painful joints, sore throat, and a high risk of a heart attack because the low temperature increases blood pressure and pressurize the heart. Regular health checkup is a good way to lower winter diseases.
Quit Smoking
Smoking during winter affects the body. If anyone of your family member smoke continuously, it will increase the gaseous material in the house. As a result, it will affect other family members by inhaling normally. Therefore, passive smoking increases lung infections.
Clothing
Clothing is important to prepare the body for winter. Choose woolen clothes to stay warm while going out. Wearing woolen cloth will keep you warm and prevent sickness. Wear a sweater, jackets, socks, gloves, head cap, which covers ears and prevents cold air.
Choose A High-Quality Coat With An Attached Hood
- Your coat should fit lightly loose on the body to feel comfortable in layer clothing. Choose polyester, water-resistant, or polypropylene materials like nylon to save from water.
- If your jacket fits cozy when you’re wearing a T-shirt, it’s excessively reasonable little. You need enough space to wear 2-3 layers in your jacket, so move one size up from what you would regularly wear if you don’t know about how much room you will have underneath.
- Choose a coat with deep pockets to put your hands inside in case of not wearing gloves.
- Use zippers in place of buttons because zippers offer a tighter seal in windy weather.
- Choose longer coats to protect the whole body because jackets protect only the upper body.
Cover Your Ears And Head
- Choose a knitted wool cap to cover ears and head. It will prevent cold air from entering in ears.
- Hats are available in different styles and colors.
- You can also choose Earmuffs to have good hairstyles.
Protect Hands In Winter
- Choose a thick pair of gloves is important in cold weather. It will keep your hands warm. You can wear wool gloves at home and leather gloves while going out.
- You will get special padding gloves with fingers to hold the phone.
Cover Your Face
Covering the face will help to prevent cold wind from reaching sensitive parts of the body. Choose a scarf and wrap it around your neck. Make sure to cover the neck and face.
Choose Big Boots And Thick Socks
Thick socks and big boots help to keep warm feet. Choose boost, which rises over ankles and a half size larger than regular shoes to make space for socks. Also, buy a thick pair of wool socks. If you are going out in the snow, wear thermal socks instead of wool that will not absorb water. Cotton socks will absorb moisture and water.
Buy Wool Or Thick Fleece Pants
The fleece or wool pants are suitable on a cold day. Make sure to choose a thick fabric that should also be breathable. Buying thick denim is best for cold.