Get your body winter ready

Winter Walks

Many people dread the winter months: it conjures up images of bad weather, colds and flu. Additionally, many people feel the winter blues too. For some, however, the symptoms are more persistent and more serious.

This persistent sadness and exhaustion associated with seasonal changes has been recognised as a type of diagnosable depression, called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). And, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, approximately 3% of people are affected so much by SAD that it interferes with our normal life. Symptoms can start as early as August and are at their worst from November to February, usually disappearing by April.

The NHS’s new ‘Help Us, Help You’ winter campaign is urging people to help keep services running as smoothly as possible for those that need it most, by doing everything they can to help keep themselves fit and healthy.

Winter can be a good time to boost your immunity, strengthen your resilience and generally improve your wellbeing. There are many practical things you can do to bolster your resistance to infection, as well as take care of your psychological wellbeing. Here are the top health habits to prioritise when the weather turns:

• Clean up your diet – a diet rich in fresh fruit, vegetables and wholegrains will boost your immunity and promote good digestion.
• Avoid processed foods and reduce fat, sugar and salt intake - to obtain a well-functioning immune system avoid preservatives and "junk" food. "Fresh is best" is a good rule of thumb.
• Pay attention to your skin and hair - they need more nourishment in cold temperatures. Choose quality conditioners and creams. This applies to men and women!
• Try to maintain a regular routine - continued late nights and overwork can have long term effects on our general health.
• Get moving – it can be hard to feel motivated to keep active as the nights draw in but just 20 minutes of brisk walking, jogging, cycling or housework that raises your heart-rate can really help you feel more energetic and happier. Also, it helps to boost immunity, aids digestion and produces “feel good” endorphins.
• Get daylight - natural daylight supports our circadian clock and help us sleep at night. So even if you seem to go to work when it’s dark and also go home when it’s dark - get out in the lunch hour - even better use it as a time to do your daily exercise.
• Drink plenty of good quality water - water promotes the absorption of vitamins and minerals in the body.
• Take time to relax - find a healthy form of relaxation which will enhance your wellbeing such as swimming, massage or walking in daylight hours
• Get away - if you can, take a holiday abroad during the winter months. There is evidence that winter sunshine can improve our general health and lift our mood.
• Sleep - get plenty of good quality sleep - it essential for good mental and physical wellbeing. Cut down stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol as they can disrupt our body clocks and impact the quality of our sleep.