Tandem Health 2020 Project # 3: My Healthy Season: Winter

We all know proactive health and wellness during the winter months is important, but where should we start? Practical tips and remedies are circulating everywhere, however too many options often leads to total inaction or a lack of motivation. Not this winter!

What if you were to begin with a seasonal ritual of sorts - your own proactive healthy winter habit to be kind to yourself and embrace the colder months? Maybe it’s a stroll in the afternoon sun each day (ticking at least four boxes there - vitamin D, exercise, time in nature, mental health). Or, perhaps it could be starting each cool morning with a new herbal tea, a winter warmer.

More simple, satisfying and healthy ways to start the season

• Commit to consuming nutritious hearty food all winter long, dust off your soup pots and slow cookers
• Remember books? They are amazing. Switch off the screen and immerse yourself in a few pages each day
• You could commit to ‘watching what you watch’ and being mindful of the information and media you consume this winter. A healthy information diet free from mental junk food sets you up for a positive few months ahead
• Your winter ritual could be more sleep, sounds great! It might be the ideal time to take a much needed break, a little rest or more rest. Think cosy nights in and less structured weekends
   

Have a think about a simple winter ritual that you will not only enjoy, but that simultaneously benefits your health. Rituals aside, there’s also a few essential things we need to remember all season long:

Winter essentials

• Wash, wipe, cover – wash your hands, wipe surfaces, cover any coughs and keep infection control at front of mind (now all experts at this)
• Have your influenza vaccine
• Have your pneumonia and pneumococcal vaccines if applicable
• Be sure to continue to see your GP for routine care via telephone or face-to-face consultations.  Chronic conditions like asthma, COPD and diabetes, in addition to other respiratory illnesses, skin conditions, arthritis, joint inflammation and mental health concerns should be kept in check
• Follow a healthy, colourful diet full of immune boosting foods and stay hydrated – yes, it’s important all year long
• Stay active despite the struggle and remember incidental movement counts
• Keep warm and be mindful of fire safety and the risk associated with heating appliances
• Stay connected to friends and family
• Always stay home if you’re sick and avoid contact with anyone with cold and flu symptoms (social distancing 101)
• Keep an eye on indoor air quality. It’s a bit chilly, but be sure to open your windows each day as fresh air is still really important. Keeping your home and space smoke free also improves general air quality
• Check in on others
• Take precautions when out and about i.e. continue to carry hand sanitiser
• Vitamin D – seek it out, enjoy the winter sunshine

So there you have it, a few basic ideas and essentials for your healthy season. No winter lasts forever and no spring or summer skips its turn, especially true for the sunny Gold Coast. Make the most of our mild winter, as we’ll be back in our board shorts and thongs soon.