Healthy Happy Winter — Wild Vibrant Living

Jan 31

Jan 31 Healthy Happy Winter

I personally find that the last few weeks of winter can be the hardest to get through. The never ending cold feels mundane and tiring, and you may feel sluggish and uninspired-at least that’s how I used to feel.

I used to be the kind of person who dreaded winter in general and who just wanted to hibernate and hide away from the cold and “wait” for spring to come, accepting that I would be in lower spirits and less healthy and happy during the cold season because “ Winter sucks” and better times would come eventually.

I would complain a lot about the cold, laze around and suffer physically and mentally.

For many of us the cold and dark months of the year can be a challenging time.

During this season it can be harder to stay motivated and inspired and awfully tempting to engage in unhealthy habits such as eating excessive amounts of comfort foods, spending too much time indoors and not getting sufficient amounts of exercise.

Luckily, I now know that wintertime doesn’t have to be dreadful, but can be a beautiful time of the year when you appreciate it and live through it in the right way.

Nowadays, I have learned to thoroughly enjoy wintertime and fully embrace this dark, more introspective season of the year.

There is a true magic to winter and in order to experience it you have to embrace the season fully and cultivate habits which make it more enjoyable and keeping you healthy and happy.

So if you feel in a rut and are tired of winter , I would like to share some ideas and habits on how to feel great all throughout the whole of the cold season.

Get enough Daylight
Even if there may be few hours of it (Especially if you live in northern regions) getting as much daylight as possible is an important aspect of experiencing a healthy and happy winter. Lack of daylight makes your body produce excessive amounts of melatonin, the hormone which makes you sleepy that your body produces at nighttime in order to help you sleep. Thus if you truly want to get most of the daylight during winter, getting up with the sunrise is ideal. Now since the sun in winter rises much later than in summer ( around 8:13 am Central European time in January) getting up with the sunrise may be less of a challenge than you think and getting the additional hours of light really make a huge difference in your energy levels. Obviously getting natural light in the winter is best, but if for some reason getting enough natural light is truly challenging for you there now are a vast array of LED daylight lamps on the market which can help with tiredness and increase energy levels. The great thing about daylight lamps is that they can help you get a little energy boost anytime of the day and can be very handy for getting in some productive work time in during dark and gloomy winter evenings.
Get sufficient amounts of Vitamin D
Due to lack of sunshine and shorter daylight hours getting a sufficient amount of vitamin D in winter can be a real struggle. Obviously catching some winter sun rays whenever possible is a must, but additionally eating Vitamin D rich foods can be a good way to keep your body happy and healthy. Some great plant based vitamin D sources include mushrooms, tofu and fortified plant milk. You can also take some vitamin D supplements, which is probably a pretty good idea to do especially if you are on a plant based diet.
Go on winter walks/exercise
Wintertime is no exception to the rule of how important exercise is in order to keep healthy and feel good, however finding the motivation to exercise can be difficult during cold dark days. Remember that exercise doesn’t always have to be an excessive workout but that even going on a nice long winter walk can do miracles to your mood and energy levels. Thus if you feel too overwhelmed by getting in a workout or dance class (in my case as I like to dance) simply bundle up and go on a nice long winter walk.
Keep warm/wear the extra layer
Speaking of bundling up, keeping warm in winter is essential in order to prevent you from getting colds and keeping you healthy. I know it sounds like the most common sense thing ever, but I have definitely made the mistake of going out on a cold winter night and not wearing enough layers. It doesn’t matter if you end up looking like a ridiculous bundle of ugly knitted sweaters-believe me it’s worth it not getting that nasty cold for all of the following week.
Eating well
Eating a healthy well balanced diet is especially important during winter as your immune system is usually weaker during the cold months. Make sure that you eat healthy whole foods and take the time to meal prep so that you don’t eat shitty foods when life becomes hectic. I am a big fan of healthy hearty veggie soups during winter (some of my favourites are listed under the plant based cooking section of my blog). In addition to keeping your immune system strong, nourishing your body will help you have better energy levels throughout the winter-So don’t skip the veggies!
Cold water dips
Now I am well aware that this isn’t for everyone, but don’t judge before you’ve tried it. I know going for an ice cold swim in the midst of winter might not sound appealing, perhaps even crazy to some but believe me ever since I have first started dipping into the cold throughout last year’s winter in Norway I have been hooked. The mental and physical benefits of cold water swims are simply incredible-from boosting your immune system, supercharging your metabolism, enhancing your circulation, burning calories to reducing stress and fighting depression-it’s a win win. I have incorporated cold water swimming into my daily winter routine and must say that it plays a huge part in my overall wellbeing at this point.

7. Finding beauty in the stillness of winter

Winter truly is a time of introspection, life becomes slower, nature is “sleeping” and there is a sense of stillness in the air. Accepting winter’s slower pace and not trying to push against it can invoke a wonderful feeling of peace. This is a time to reflect and perhaps plant the seeds for the coming spring/summer. Winter is a great time to look inside yourself/set some manifestations and goals for the coming year. I also find winter to be a great time to work on some personal and creative projects as there seems to be less distraction in winter and more quiet cozy evenings at home on which you can dream, plan and create.