Winter weather and snow can be a lot of fun for children and adults alike but cold, wet conditions lead to increases in injuries and illnesses. Severe cold snaps can have devastating effects on people who are already vulnerable to illness or injury as a result of their age, chronic illness or disability. Living a healthy lifestyle year round and especially during winter months makes a huge difference in keeping healthy. When you take some simple precautions it will prepare you to stay safe and healthy throughout the winter season.
Eating healthy foods in moderation is a key factor to keep your immune system operating optimally throughout the year. Diet clinics, doctors and dieticians are good sources of information about healthy eating plans and eating behaviors. Here are some tips for healthy winter eating.
- Make sure you eat regularly
- Include both hot food and hot drinks in your daily menus.
- Include five portions of fruit and vegetables in your daily menus. Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables do count towards your daily allotment.
Stay active throughout the winter months. Try to move around at least once an hour. Try to establish both indoor and outdoor exercise routines.
- Take walks inside a mall. Many malls have special walking programs.
- Invest in some weights or resistance bands so you can train at home.
- Buy or rent exercise videos
- Take stairs whenever possible
- Do active housework chores like sweeping, mopping, vacuuming or doing laundry.
- Join a health club
- Do yard work like raking leaves or shoveling snow. If you have any health problems check with a doctor before you shovel snow.
- Walk the dog
- Cross country ski
Keeping your weight down helps you navigate more easily through icy, snowy winter conditions and therefore reduces your chances of incurring a serious injury. Many people control their weight effectively with a healthy eating plan and a moderate amount of exercise but for many weight loss maintenance or weight loss can be difficult. There are many diet pills and nutritional supplements available like Phentramin-D on the market that helps curb your appetite and burn fat faster. Taking a supplement or diet pills during the winter can help you control weight when you are stuck indoors and cannot be as physically active as you can during warmer months.
Dressing correctly for cold winter is another way to stay healthy. Wearing lots of thin layers provides better insulation. Cotton, fleece and wool materials help to maintain body heat. If you go out make certain you have shoes with a good, deep, tread or invest in a pair of ice and snow cleats you can attach to the bottom of your shoes for extra traction in snowy, icy weather.
Living in a properly heated and insulated home is crucial to staying healthy. Indoor heating should be set at 21C (70F) for your primary living room and bedrooms should be heated 18C (65F). All other rooms should be heated to a minimum of 16C (61F). You may risk your health setting temperatures lower than these guidelines. Especially if you are older or there are young children in your home.
Properly insulating your home will keep in the heat and keep out the drafts.
- Use insulation tape to seal any gaps around windows and doors.
- Your ceiling or loft area should have at least 270mm (10-11 inches) of insulation.
- Insulate any wall spaces
- Put insulation around your hot water heater and pipes.
- Keep curtains closed to keep heat inside.
- Make sure the space around radiators is free of obstructions.
Hygiene is also important to help stem the spread of colds or flu. Following these simple hygiene measures will reduce the chances of catching and spreading infections.
- Always cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Don’t leave used tissues standing around the house. Dispose of them immediately.
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water.
- Have over the counter cough and cold medicines available and use them at the very first signs of an infection starting.
If you focus on eating healthy, keeping your weight down, exercising and heating your home properly you improve your chances of remaining healthy and injury free throughout the cold, winter months of the year.
Author Bio
This article is contributed by Howard Thomas, who is a health blogger and published lots of article in health niche. He describes here some tips that help a person to stay safe in cold weather.
