3 Ways You Can Improve Your Body This Winter

Winter is a time where most of us like to stay warm inside. The earth is going through it’s season of hibernation and cold. Once winter comes around, I am highly aware of the changes that my body and mind goes through in the winter. It can introduce ways of slowing down like time changes, colds, body heat changes and anything my body may be experiencing with a different climate change day to day. Winter Body care is important! In this article, I will be sharing with you six different ways you can improve your body in the winter. 

Take care of your health

Before we get into body care with topical products, I maintain that inner health is as important as external health. In the winter, it is essential that you are eating warmer foods like broths, soups and warmer drinks like teas. I have learned plenty from herbalists of various backgrounds who encourage that you rest and drink more warmer foods.  If you are a woman, this is a must as your body temperature fluctuates all month around with your cycle centered nature. Your temperature can drop off once it gets into the luteal phase and your menstrual phase of your cycle. 

Make sure for this winter, you are wearing your coats, gloves and proper socks. I love to include more warm baths into my winter regimen to increase my body temperature. One of my favorite products to include is Dr. Singah’s Mustard Bath, for it’s ability to relax the muscles. It is a great addition to your health care if you get sick. Sit in the bath for ten to twenty minutes while the Dr. Singah’s Mustard Bath is doing its work. Then, get ready to fall asleep. Better yet, I love to pair it with Magnesum Flakes for an extra kick to relax my body, relax my mind and stay warm. 

Outside of keeping warm, the sun has slowly reduced its time in the sky during the winter. There are a few things you can do to keep your vitamin D up. First, you can actively go outside for a bit of time in the sun during the mornings. I call these Sun Hours, where I spend at least 20 minutes in the morning sun between the hours of 8 am to 10 am. Next, you can add a 10 minute walk to your day during the afternoon. If you are someone who is on the computer all day, it is a great time to take a break while getting some sun in the winter. You can also add vitamin D to your regimen as an oral supplement. Make sure you talk with your physician about your vitamin levels depending on your location.  

 

Take care of your skin

 

After you take care of your internal health, you can focus on the external part of your body. Your skin is one of the largest organs of your body and can tell you plenty about your health. It remains impacted by environmental stressors, climate changes and body changes too. Begin by looking at your current skincare routine. I recommend focusing more on hydrating products to combat any winter dryness and dehydration from the environment. This means you can focus on more ingredients that boost your skin’s hydration levels over time. 

 

I increase my hydration mists with products like a hydration mist, a hypochlorus spray, and hydration focused serums. I make sure to lock them in with a great moisturizer and an occlusive product like petroleum balm. Winter is a great time to exfoliate and target hyperpigmentation prevention. However, you have to balance it out with hydration as the elements like wind, rain and cold can make your skin more dry, sensitive and cracked as you are focused on evening out your skin tone. I apply this method to my facial skincare and my body care too. 

 

As I am making sure I am moving around in the winter, I want to ensure that the skin on my feet are well cared for. I utilize a pumice stone to remove any dead skin cells and keep my skin hydrated to prevent any dry, cracked feet. I make sure that my shoes include insoles, foot coverings and protection to ease my feet and prevent any skin breakage. All of your body deserves to be cherished and taken care of well. 

 

Take care of your mind

 

Your mind is a significant part of your body. It helps you make decisions and controls other parts of your body. What is significant about your mind is how effected it is by the seasonal changes. If you are in a place where there is more darkness, did you know that you can be more effected by seasonal depression? {stat about seasonal depression}. It’s important to take the time to know how your mind reacts in different seasons. Do you get quiet in the winter? Do you go outside when you can? Ask yourself key questions about the different seasonal behaviors you have too. 

 

Hobbies are a great way to get out of your comfort zone of being in your home in the winter season. Humans need alone time and community time too. A hobby is a great way to do that by meeting new people and adding something new to your brain that may request a new dopamine fix. My favorite hobby is reading. I love reading alone but I also love reading in a public library, cafe or restaurant. I have the best of both worlds enjoying my hobby, challenging my mind and getting outside too. 

 

Conclusion

Winter is the time for hibernation and more care for yourself. I invest in this time to be myself while understanding what factors of happiness make me feel more alive daily. I never think of myself losing anything to time during the winter. As I moved to the upper part of the East Coast in the United States, I had to learn new ways of living as my seasonal climate changed. Winter went from briefly cold to striking freezing. My skin went from combination oily in Southern winters to combination dry in the Northern winters. My mind had to learn to adapt as my body did to the Northern winters in order to survive and prevent seasonal depression, low vitamin D and dehydration.