Simple Choices for a Healthy Winter Season
By Alison Metsker, Certified Integrative Health and Nutrition Coach, AADP, IHC
s summer is behind us and autumn arrives, we tend to spend more time inside, both mentally and physically. All seasons are a time of transition and with that comes some shedding of old and beginning again. It is more important than ever to take care of ourselves so we have the strength to take care of others both mentally and physically, especially in times of transition. To some this is also known as the practice of self-care. I offer some of the following suggestions as additional ways you can feel as good and happy all winter long just as you have in the warm summer months beyond just the lovely yoga class or the great walk in the woods you can take.
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1. Seek Out the Sun. To keep your mind and body healthy try to get an hour minimum of sunlight each day. Even on the coldest of days one can put on an extra layer and go for a walk, or get out the snow shoes, chop the wood, cross country ski, or even sit in your sunniest room in your house at the sunniest time of day. I have one friend who walks around her sunny house just to move around. If you work in an office or a dark building try to eat your lunch outside or near a sunny window. If you are a student, try sitting in a sunny window in a library to study. If you go to a café, make it a sunny one. I sometimes choose restaurants based on the amount of sunshine I can get in the winter, of course there has to also be good healthy food as well. The difference the daily dose of vitamin D will make on your mood is clearly noticeable.
2. Put on Some Music. Whatever your fancy, music is uplifting and can brighten your day and shift a dreary day into a happier one in seconds.
18 Essential Living Maine ~ November/December 2016
3. Create a Cozy Atomosphere. The Danish have a practice called “hygge” pronounced, hooga, which really translates into my favorite way of life, which is coziness. This could mean making your home a peaceful place where you can relax, treasuring time with family members or having dinner with friends where everyone can enjoy the conversation. Create a warm, relax- ing atmosphere by lighting candles as soon as the sun goes down. It can be one or quite a few. The candlelight is sooth- ing and comforting and puts your mind in to a calm state we don’t always receive from harsher lighting. The Danes use more candles than any other country in Europe and it is no surprise that they are among the happiest people in the world in study after study. Even a walk in the woods or down the street with a friend or your dog can be called hygge. The practice of hygge is also a huge part in people’s lives in other European countries but is known by a different term such as hyggelig in Norway and gemuetlich in Germany and Switzerland. When I first moved back to the United States from Switzerland 17 years ago, I realized I had walked everywhere in the winter so I started parking as far away as I could no matter where I went whether to the grocery store, the cleaners, my favorite yoga stu- dio or the office. I continued this in the winter because even 10 minutes in the cold can be invigorating and uplifting especially with the sun and snow. So park a little farther and walk a little more. A few endorphins can always help the mood stay posi- tive. You may be surprised at the feeling a few extra minutes walk will add to your day.
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