For many of us Winter is a time we look forward to, especially if we are not the beach bunny type, cherishing the sun’s rays with a layer of perspiration. But as the temperature plummets even those of us who revel in watching a dancing flame can be challenged to stay well and comfortable.
Enjoy these Top Tips for Winter Wellness. A quick scan is all you need. They are easy to add into your Winter Wellbeing management.
INDULGE YOURSELF
It’s not very often a wellness guide tells you to indulge, but in the heart of Winter some well-considered indulgence makes the most of Winter’s gifts.
Enjoy the longer hours indoors by indulging in catching up on those pass-times you have been looking forward to but putting off in favour of more urgent chores. It could be sorting the old photos for digitising, having a few good long chats with old friends at a distance, get that bucket list written and spend focussed, overdue quality time with loved ones.
CATCH UP ON SLEEP
Despite all our modern disruptions our body’s natural rhythms are still geared toward natural cycles, such as longer darkness for a longer sleep. Let yourself take that book to bed and fall asleep early, rising a little later when you can.
EXERCISE OUTDOORS
The antithesis to snuggling up in warm indoors indulgence, is donning those active layers and getting outside to enjoy the nip in the air. Though there is often debate around whether we burn more calories when we exercise in colder temperatures, a number of focussed studies have proven it is the case. For example, the USA National Outdoors Leadership School specified participants burned 34% more calories when exercising in 14-23 degrees than they did in comparative workouts in warmer weather. It is also often reported that we tend to exercise harder when not distracted by over-heating, our bodies enjoy getting warm from the inside out. Just make sure the weather is conducive before you head out, with no showers on the way, layer up and protect your skin with good hydrating skincare, such as Gaia’s Retreatment Restore Serum and Ultra-Rich Hydrating Moisturiser. Always look after your lips and wear a lip balm outdoors in the cold.
MORE ON SKIN AND HAIR
Most of us know that cold weather means less moisture in the air leading to drier skin and hair. Here is a quick preventative round up:
Watch the heat
Keep home and office heating temperatures warm but not hot, the same goes for face and hand washing and bathing. Pleasantly warm water is far less drying than hot.
Keep moisture in the air
If your heating system does not have a humidifier, use a stand-alone unit and keep it at 30-50% humidity for best results. No humidifier? Feature a bowl of water in the rooms you spend the most time in, float mint leaves, petals and essential oils in it. Remember to change the water in both humidifiers and bowls every day.
Protect Your Skin
Use creamy, less-drying face and body washes, restorative and protective serums and rich moisturisers. If your skin tends to cold weather red patches and flakiness, be especially careful re hot room and water temperatures and reapply hydrating serums and creams regularly.
Hydrate
Drink plenty of water so that you stay hydrated from the inside, even though you may not feel as thirsty as you do in hotter weather. If your body skin tends to that dry tight feeling or roughness to touch, reapply hydrating lotions at night before bed so they penetrate as your body temperature increases slightly in bed. Think about lathering up your hands and feet and popping on some natural fibre socks and gloves to really love up challenged extremities.
Care for Your Hair
Hair is generally harder to control in colder weather. Less moisture in the air means drier, more fly-away hair but try to avoid gels and styling products with alcohol as they can exacerbate the dry condition. Wash it less often, apply hair masks, use richer conditioners and try the leave-in conditioners if your hair is very dry or fly away.
For a range of nourishing, rich and luxurious, natural organic skincare, please find Gaia’s Retreatment Botanics products here – www.retreatmentbotanics.com
BOOST IMMUNITY
We all know the tricks, lots of antioxidant foods, regular doses of Vitamin C, regular Echinacea, or Echinacea blends and eating lots of garlic, ginger and turmeric. We just need to DO IT!
If you feel as though you may be getting a cold, a simple trick over generations is downing a chopped garlic clove in a teaspoon of honey asap and repeating every three hours. To keep your breath sweet, chew a sprig or two of parsley afterward to reduce your garlic odour-aroma.
Enjoy your Winter Wellness!
Gaia Wellness Team