Cold rainy days, longer nights, and shorter days mean the winter months can have a significant impact on our wellbeing. Check out these five ways to boost your wellbeing through winter. 🙌❄️

 

Ease the winter blues 🩵

As the days become shorter, try to embrace the benefits of a change in the season and enjoy being cosy in the comfort of your own home.  Why not create a cosy environment at home by using seasonal scented candles or fairy lights?  A warm cup of tea, hot chocolate, or soup can be comforting, as can a warm bubble bath. Layering up with your favourite blanket or chunky knit is another way to self-soothe through the colder months. Remember to be kind to yourself!

 

Knock out the Zzzzzz’s 🛌

Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert when you wake up. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly, impairing your abilities to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories. 

The good news is that many sleep problems improve and can even disappear when you take the right steps to treat them. Start by implementing these healthy sleep practices at home: 

  • Get at least 20 minutes of exposure to natural light in the morning. 
  • Commit to a regular sleep schedule. 
  • Adopt a relaxing bedtime routine. 
  • Make sure your bedroom environment is cool, dark, quiet, and comfortable. 
  • Avoid screen time for at least 30 minutes before bed. 
  • Avoid alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine in the hours before bed.  
  • Regularly exercise but avoid anything too energetic in the 90 minutes before bedtime. 

 

 

Get active 🏃

Did you know, to stay fit and healthy, it’s recommended you get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, or around 20 to 30 minutes a day? Not all of us are naturally sporty, making it difficult to know where to start when it comes to incorporating physical activity into our daily routines. 

Start small by identifying simple ways to increase your daily movement and build up from there: 

  • Stand rather than sit when you can, like on train or bus journeys, or try getting off the bus a stop or two early and walking the rest of the way. You could also choose the stairs over the lift. 
  • If you need to drive somewhere, park further away than you need to – even just the far end of the car park adds extra movement which makes all the difference! 
  • Find an activity you genuinely enjoy. Biking, yoga, hiking, skiing, rock climbing, kayaking and ice skating are all fun activities that will increase your heart rate. This means stepping out of your comfort zone and learning to be patient as you try new things, but it’ll be worth it when working out no longer feels like a chore.  

Every bit of extra activity you do matters, no matter how big or small. But the more you do, the more you will benefit! 

 

 

Eat right 🍓

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is a vital part of maintaining good health and helping you to feel your best. 

To have a healthy, balanced diet, you should try to: 

  • Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.  
  • Base meals on higher fibre starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta. 
  • Have some dairy or dairy alternatives. 
  • Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein. 
  • Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and eat them in small amounts. 
  • Drink plenty of fluids (at least 6 to 8 glasses a day). 

 

 

Boost your Vitamin D ☀️

During the autumn and winter, you need to get vitamin D from your diet because the sun is not strong enough for the body to make vitamin D. 

But since it’s difficult for people to get enough vitamin D from food alone, everyone (including pregnant and breastfeeding women) should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the autumn and winter. 

Vitamin D food sources include: 

  • Oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel. 
  • Red meat. 
  • Liver (avoid liver if you are pregnant) 
  • Egg yolks 
  • Fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals 

 

 

Share the warmth this winter, stay well with our tips and share the link with friends and family too, for a start-of-the-year wellbeing boost. ✨🥰 

 

 

Sources 

www.nhs.uk 

www.sleepfoundation.org