Winter toolkit for vitality: how to stay healthy during winter months

As we continue through the Winter season after the New Year, we gather our tried-and-true resources for self-care and hang in there until the light of Spring returns.

Taking care of yourself and your health* can feel, for many, more challenging during the short, dark days of the Winter season. We have less external heat and light to inspire movement, action and routine. Routines themselves may be thrown off by the holiday season. The general drop in activity can impact our bodies in many ways. Digestion might slow down, meals may be less consistent, and various hormonal rhythms can swing into imbalance.

*Disclaimer: This blog is intended to provide a set of tools you can use to stay more regulated and connected to your health and vitality during the winter months. This is blog is not intended to be used as medical advice. The following information is for your education only. I highly recommend working with a licensed practitioner for diagnosis and treatment of any symptoms you’re experiencing.

Morning light

Light and stimulation in the morning stimulates a healthy cortisol awakening response (CAR)

Sleep is essential for physical and mental well-being. Various aspects of the Winter season can throw your sleep into imbalance. We can work with both light and dark to help maintain a healthy sleep cycle.

During the Winter days, we have less exposure to natural light in the mornings, so getting light on our eyes takes more intention. Getting outside shortly after waking up to exposure your eyes to natural light (even if it’s cloudy) will support your circadian rhythm. We’re looking for a healthy, robust rise in cortisol in the morning, and a rise in melatonin at night as the light, and the cortisol, decreases.

Evening dark

Winding down before bed to get a deeper sleep

Just like morning light stimulates waking up, evening darkness helps the body prepare for sleep. The hormone melatonin is, in part, responsible for making you feel sleepy in the evenings, and it’s inhibited by both light and cortisol. So, skip the intense TV shows at nighttime. Consider tabling the heated discussion for the following morning. Dim the lights the few hours before bed to support your natural melatonin rise, which fosters more restorative sleep.

Movement

The power of regular movement (I don’t exercise; I move!)

The impact of movement on mental health is becoming common knowledge. And truly, it cannot be overstated. We know without a doubt how maintaining a regular routine of physical activity impacts that body. Movement can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. It can improve cognition and mood. It can boost digestive function and hormone balance. Movement creates a healthier cardiovascular system, which is important in the Winter because heart attack rates increase. This is likely correlated with circadian rhythm changes, which we discussed above.

When it comes to your movement practice, throw away the rules and expectations. Get moving in whatever ways you can. Make it fun, so that you want to continue to build a habit. Avoid intense exercise too close to bedtime, as this can result in a rise in cortisol which may cause insomnia by throwing off your sleep wake cycle. Find movements that get your heart pumping, build muscle, improve motility, and increase joy.

Bitter foods

Nutrition to support healthy digestion

Digestion can slow down during the Winter months due to lowered activity levels. Your digestive system in part relies on physical movement of the body to stimulate motility (the movement of food through the digestive tract). Eating bitter foods stimulates the bitter receptors within the digestive tract. These receptors then facilitate an increase in digestive activity. Bitters can help increase stomach acid, digestive enzymes, digestive motility, and liver and gallbladder activity.

Visit this blog post to learn more about how to incorporate bitters into your routine. Check out this blog to learn more about supporting digestion during Winter months.

Seasonal bitter foods include citrus, pomegranate, and cruciferous vegetables. Many of these foods support your digestion not only through their bitter principle. They also contain colorful polyphenols (antioxidants) and liver-supportive compounds.

Connection

Co-regulation to support nervous system balance

Your nervous system needs regular time spent with safe, loving, fun humans. When we’re together with other people, we experience what’s called co-regulation. Your nervous system perceives the queues of the other people—such as facial expressions, vocal intonation, and gestures. This information is very soothing and regulating, contributing to a balance within your nervous system. The downstream impacts of this are widespread—immune support, heart health, mental health, gut health, and more.

Some ways to engage in co-regulation:

• Engaging in enjoyable face-to-face reciprocal conversations

• Active listening

• Playing games

• Singing or dancing or walking together

• Hugging and other types of soothing touch

Routines

Your brain and body thrive on cyclical, seasonal living

Let’s not downplay the impact of a daily routine. When you lean into helpful, rhythmic daily routines, your brain doesn’t have to work as hard to get those things done. The completion of routines can give a dopamine boost, which increases motivation and satisfaction. Prioritizing consistent meals, especially breakfast, can set the tone for your energy and mood for the day. Routines can ensure that we stay in connection with the activities that best support our mental and physical health. In the Winter, having a routine might just be the part of your day that gets you through the dark and into the light.

Your mental and physical health matters.

I encourage you to reflect on the following factors that can help support your well-being during the Winter

• Morning light

• Evening dark

• Movement

• Bitters

• Connection

• Routines

Which of these, if any, are already supporting your well-being? And which would you like to focus more energy on through the rest of Winter? Consider choosing just one thing that feels like the highest priority. Focus on that for a week, and see how it impacts you.

Winter is long and dark but it doesn’t last forever. If you find yourself struggling through the Winter months, you might benefit from a personalized, holistic approach to healing. Click the button below to get started on a root-cause healing journey today!