More than anything at Advanced Myotherapy, our approach to medicine is a preventative one that looks holistically at the body for greater wellbeing from the foundation of a sound musculoskeletal structure. This Winter we offer our Top 10 Tips on keeping Healthy in the cold.
By nature, “Cold = Contractions”, meaning winter is the worst time for tension which we can confirm from experience as demand increases. So this winter we wish to help you stay warm and relaxed as we face the invasive cold to prevent symptoms of illness from the inside out. So read on for our best tips to keep healthy in the months ahead.
Top 10 Tips to stay Healthy this Winter
#1 Cleanse your body with healing herbs
#2 “Let Food be thy Medicine & Medicine be thy Food” as – Hippocrates said!
#3 Free stress with a stretch
#4 Drink right to stay light
#5 Work out warm at home
#6 Dress wisely to retain your heat
#7 Seek sustenance from Soup
#8 Support blood circulation
#9 Align your Spine
#10 Fine tune every now and then
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#1 Cleanse your body with healing herbs
If you wouldn’t shower in cola or lemonade, why shower your organs with sugar-filled syrups and drinks. Teas are a great way to benefit from the abundant healing properties of herbs. Ginger, lemon and honey is a fantastic combination for winter in hot teas to clear congestion, warm the body and aid digestion. For stressed tight muscles, Chamomile and Lavender are a famous blend for relaxation, just as many foods assist in muscle function with essential nutrients vital for movement, contraction and relaxation.
#2 “Let Food be thy Medicine & Medicine be thy Food” as – Hippocrates said!
Food is the oldest form of medicine and rather then seeking supplementation, look first to the power of your eating habits. There is nothing better than the real thing. If worried about pesticides on your produce, simply soak in a solution of water with apple cider vinegar to break down any toxic chemicals. You cannot get the nutrients from supplements that are provided by eating real plant foods such as fruits and vegetables. Remember it is always best to eat locally and seasonally and particularly in winter, the digestive system needs cooked foods to help aid in optimal absorption of nutrients and regularity.
#3 Free stress with a stretch
We know that winter is the worst time for muscles as the cold creates contraction in order to regulate temperature and keep the body warm to protect the vital organs. Our favorite way to keep warm in winter is to use “Heat Therapy” with wheat bags. Applying wheat bags to tension areas, such as the neck and back is one of the best ways in winter to maintain healthy and relaxed muscles, to prevent cold invasion symptoms and stiffness. Alongside this, we promote the unbeatable benefits of regular stretching for the muscles to maintain balance. Tight muscles become short and restricted which places pressure on the joints and even lead to neural tension, causing all sorts of other painful symptoms. Practice regular stretching in all areas of the body and muscle groups to prevent decreased range of motion and reduce the risk of injuries and tears this winter.
#4 Drink right to stay light
As we like to say, don’t drink what you wouldn’t shower in and your body will love you for it. We promote the wise discipline of drinking clean to help purify and detoxify the body on an ongoing basis to help flush the body. There are many ways that tea can bring health benefits including weight management. Simply by drinking a liter of hot water with lemon in the morning, we can flush our system and help break down fat in the body to maintain a healthy weight, especially in winter when we tend to layer up somewhat instinctively to keep warm.
#5 Work out warm at home
Prevent getting a cold in the attempt to keep fit. Avoid jogging outside in the extreme cold with little clothing. This is a fast way to weaken the immune system and become vulnerable to colds and flu. Work out at home with simple aerobics, yoga, stretching and even house work. House work is a great way to burn calories while being productive and crossing off the chore list. If you like to jog, then rug up and avoid exposing your organs to the cold. This can often lead to fever in a defensive response to regulate temperature in the body.
#6 Dress wisely to retain your heat
When going outside in the cold, the worst thing you can do is expose your kidneys and neck. Rug up and be wise this winter to save your self much valuable time being sick in bed and invest in a pair of gloves. This is especially important for women with smaller wrists that can become cold quite easily. Wear a hat to prevent heat loss through the top of the head. A great deal of heat leaves the body through the back of the neck and top of the head, so keep these areas covered in winter to prevent vital heat loss.
#7 Seek sustenance from Soup
Soup is a magic way to ensure we get the nutrients we need in one meal and the best part about it is it’s always better the next day. Make hearty soup pots with lots of vegies to stay strong and build immunity this winter. Add lots of colours to ensure you feed all needs to the body from energy to iron, magnesium and calcium. Here is our favorite soup recipe for those who are looking for a simple and delicious soup for those cold nights in at home.
8# Support blood circulation
Blood circulation is one of the most vital aspects of health in winter as we tend to move less to stay warm. Promote circulation with exercise, breathing, yoga, stretching and massage. Massage & Reflexology are awesome ways to release stagnation from the muscles and stress in the body, even for the organs. From constipation and poor digestion to cramping, strain and blood stagnation pain, massage and reflexology are powerful healing tools for many ailments people suffer with in winter.
#9 Align your Spine
As we naturally tend towards rigidity in the cold, spinal compromise is more prominent in the cold, meaning regular posture checks become more important. Avoid the easily preventable hunch this season with regular visits to your Myotherapist to assess your muscle balance and maintain postural health.
#10 Fine tune every now and then
Just as we service our car every so many miles, it’s important in the more extreme weather conditions to seek regular tune up to help de-stress and unwind the body. Often we forget ourselves and continue to spend our energy, becoming depleted especially in winter. Having regular tune ups and body treatments ensures you stay balanced to prevent increased vulnerability to symptoms and sickness this season. So there’s our Top 10 Tips for this winter. We hope you enjoy them and stay healthy until next time. We look forward to seeing you then!