Tips to Stay Healthy This Winter Season
Winter season may be tough on your health. For example, you may feel dehydrated from the dry air or depressed from a lack of vitamin D, which your body produces when in direct contact with sunlight. You might even catch the flu or another virus, which spreads more easily in cold, dry air.
Because of this coming winter season, we want to give you some ways to stay healthy during this cold season at Modern Heart and Vascular Institute. We want to ensure you have everything to keep fit, healthy, and safe during the cold months.
We have put together recommendations, tips, and information you may use to ensure you are ready for winter and enjoy the vacations without worry.
Tips To Stay Healthy This Winter Season
To stay healthy this winter season, you should try to take care of yourself. First, meet all of your mental, physical, and emotional needs. Next, we list some tips to address these different areas and why they may help you stay healthy.
Concentrate On Obtaining Your Vitamins, Eat A Nutritious And Balanced Diet
In general, vitamins help your body perform essential functions. For example, vitamin D helps sustain average blood phosphorus and calcium levels, strengthening bones.
Vitamin C may help decrease the risk of cancer, including cancers of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and breast. In addition, by taking a multivitamin, you may feel better by correcting a deficiency you did not know you even had.
A nutritious and balanced diet is essential all year but preventing winter health issues during the cold season is imperative. You can continue to enjoy your favorite holiday treats but be sure to incorporate healthy food into your diet.
For example, you may balance a hearty, indulgent dinner with a light lunch beforehand and a healthy breakfast the following day.
Seasonal fruits, such as kiwi, tangerines, oranges, and grapefruit, are excellent for boosting immunity. Winter vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower will help provide your body with adequate nutrients and vitamins.
Ensure you get enough of the following vitamins and minerals:
- Vitamin C: you may find it in fruits and vegetables.
- Vitamin B12: you may find it in meats, fish, poultry, and eggs.
- Zinc: you may find it in animal products, nuts, and seeds.
- Iron: you may find it in meat, beans, and lentils.
A nutritious diet ensures your body is ready to fight winter bugs.
Set Targets That Remind You Of The Year Ahead
Setting goals helps you remember the future to which you must look forward. So if being healthy is crucial, check out the following list of targets to help you be at your healthiest:
- Increase your daily physical activity; physical activity may contribute to preventing and controlling risk factors for heart disease, such as blood cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension.
- Improve bone and muscle health, osteoporosis prevention.
- Improve your sleep
- Control your weight
- Drink more water; all cells, organs, and structures of your body need water to function correctly. It also lubricates the ligaments, protects the spinal cord and other delicate tissues, regulates body temperature, and aids the passage of food through the intestines.
- Do not consume illicit drugs, limit alcohol intake, and be free of tobacco dependence.
- Limit sugar consumption; sugar plays a part in diabetes, cancer, heart disease, liver damage, and depression.
- Improve your balance and flexibility; a flexibility benefit is increasing the range of motion around the joints. Having a limited motion range may lead to injury, pain, and poor performance. Improving your balance and flexibility may also help with lower back pain, ease stress, prevent injuries, improve your posture, and improve your circulation.
Wear Your Clothes In Layers
It goes without saying: winter is a time to pull out all the warm clothes from the back of your closet. Temperatures drop to freezing in many regions.
It is essential to dress in comfortable clothing that helps you stay warm to help prevent winter illnesses. In addition, if you spend a lot of time outdoors, warm clothing will help protect against frostbite and hypothermia.
You should always check the weather before you go out, so you are better prepared for it.
Treat Yourself Once In A While
Indulging yourself is giving yourself a little “me time” or self-indulgence without guilt. Treating yourself is an act of self-compassion. Self-compassion is valuing yourself with the same kindness and care as a friend. Acting compassionately toward yourself may help you foster better mental health.
BOOST YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
There are many advantages to regular physical activity. Some of those benefits, as mentioned before, may include the following:
- Controlling your weight.
- Reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
- Strengthening your muscles and bones.
- Improving your mood and mental health.
Now is the best time to start reaping the benefits of physical activity that will help you better appreciate the warmer weather later. So choose the physical activity you enjoy the most whenever the weather permits.
WASH YOUR HANDS CORRECTLY
Hand washing is one of the most significant steps to prevent getting sick and dispersing germs to others. Follow the five steps of hand-washing:
- Wet your hands with clean running warm or cold water, turn off the tap and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing them with soap. Ensure to lather the back of your hand, between your fingers, and under your fingernails.
- Scrub your hands for at least twenty seconds.
- Rinse hands thoroughly with clean running water.
- Air dry your hands or dry them with a clean towel.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN
Cold, dry outdoor air and indoor heating may affect the appearance and texture of your skin during the winter season. Take care of your skin using a cream or lotion that is right for you.
The winter season will affect your skin. The drop in temperature and lack of moisture in the air can make you feel dry and chapped.
Therefore, ensuring you take good care of your skin during these months is vital. Remember always to moisturize your skin and apply lip balm before going out.
Carry a bottle or tube of hand lotion with you when you go out, as constant exposure to cold winds may cause dry and cracked skin.
Since you may be limited to sun exposure during the cold months, individuals tend to forget to apply sunscreen, but it is crucial to do so on cold, cloudy days.
MANAGE YOUR STRESS
Stress may negatively affect your musculoskeletal system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, endocrine system, gastrointestinal system, nervous system, and more. The best ways to manage stress in difficult times are through self-care.
Next, we will mention some ways to manage stress:
- Avoiding drugs and limiting alcohol consumption
- Finding support, reaching out to a supportive partner, family member, friend, counselor, doctor, or clergy.
- Connecting socially; avoiding isolating yourself.
- Taking care of yourself; you may do it by eating right, exercising, getting good rest, and taking a break.
- Staying active; staying active may help you take your mind off your problems.
PREPARE YOUR HOME FOR WINTER
When the winter months arrive, you will be spending more time indoors. Make sure your home is comfortable, safe, and energy efficient by following these tips for the cold weather season:
- Ensure your home is well insulated, especially water lines running along exterior walls, to prevent damaging freezing.
- You should verify that the ducts, usually hidden in the attic or basement, are in order by sealing and insulating them properly, or else you could lose twenty percent of the air moving through them.
- Clean and maintain your furnace.
- Sediment can build up and make your system inefficient and potentially a fire hazard.
- Change your filters regularly during the winter to increase energy efficiency and airflow.
- If you are still determining or unsure what to look for, you may hire a professional to come out and inspect.
- Clean all gutters to prevent water from pooling and freezing in them.
- Make sure all your detectors are working.
- Test your smoke detector or install one if it is not present.
- Install a carbon monoxide detector that will alarm you if the deadly gas is present.
- Create a stockpile of emergency supplies in case of a snowstorm or blizzard.
- Fill it with water and non-cooking food that does not require refrigeration.
GET YOUR ANNUAL FLU VACCINE
The final safety tip for the winter season is to ensure you get your annual flu vaccine to protect yourself against the influenza virus. The medical field improves these vaccines each year to protect people against new strains of the flu virus.
VISIT OUR CLINICS FOR ALL YOUR PRIMARY AND ACUTE HEALTHCARE NEEDS.
It is our priority to keep you well this winter! Visit one of Modern Heart and Vascular Institute’s locations for high-quality primary care close to home. Call 832-644-8930 to schedule your appointment today.
At Modern Heart and Vascular Institute, we feel privileged to answer crucial questions about circumstances that could impact your heart. Our expert cardiologists can help you handle, foresee, and treat all aspects of your cardiovascular condition.
We are Modern Heart and Vascular Institute, a diagnostic and preventative medicine cardiology practice. For more information, contact us.
Every heart has a story… What’s yours?
CARDIOVASCULAR CENTERS IN HOUSTON, TEXAS
Modern Heart and Vascular, a preventive cardiology medical practice, has several offices around Houston. We have locations in Humble, Cleveland, The Woodlands, Katy, and Livingston.
We are Modern Heart and Vascular Institute, a diagnostic and preventative medicine cardiology practice.
Every heart has a story… What’s yours?
Book an Appointment Today
At the Modern Heart and Vascular Institute, we offer state-of-the-art cardiovascular care with innovative diagnostic tools and compassionate patient care. Our priority at Modern Heart and Vascular Institute is prevention. We help patients lead healthier lives by avoiding unnecessary procedures and surgeries.
Contact us online to learn more and book an appointment. If you’d like to learn more about our practice, read our providers’ bios.
This article does not provide medical advice. It is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you need cardiovascular care, please call us at 832-644-8930.