Month: December 2020

It may seem like common knowledge that colder temperatures mean dry air, dry sinuses, and dehydration. However, many people do not know that cold temperatures, forced air furnaces, and other winter elements can severely dry you out, even on the inside.

With every breath you take and much of the movements you do every day, your body loses moisture due to evaporation. When it is below freezing outside, that means that all the rain and water outside is frozen and unavailable. It doesn’t evaporate or get spread around.

Add to that inside your home, where the furnace sucks all your home’s air into the heating element and heats the air up. Then, it dries the air in your home out while it heats and blows the air around. The same thing happens to the air in your car.

Mix the indoor dryness with the outdoor dryness and you’re in for some bloody noses, irritated or painful sinuses, allergy issues, and possible dehydration. Did you know that when the air is dry, particles of all kinds are able to fly easier and stay in the air longer because moisture isn’t there to weigh them down.

The first and most important thing you should do is drink plenty of water. The dry air will take moisture from your skin, breath, and more. Keep enough water in your body.

The following tips should help you keep the air moisture up:

Humidifiers – You can choose between cold mist or hot mist humidifiers. If you have a large home, you’re going to need 3 or more, or 1 per room. If you have a small home, two of them should do the trick. Find them online or at one of your favorite department stores. Remember to grab a couple for your car as well!

Keep your humidifiers filled – It is useless to have them if you don’t remember to fill them with water often. You have the option to purchase some humidifiers with a larger reservoir so that you only have to remember every 24 hours. However, most of them need filled every 8-12 hours. Set a timer on your phone or some other reminder. It helps to fill them once when you wake up and once before you fall asleep.

Steam – You can generate steam by 1 or 2 big pots of boiling water on your stove, running the shower hot with the drain plugged and the door open. Beware not to let the water on the stove run out or you can damage your pots.

Water by the vents – If you place a bowl or pot of water next to or on top of your heater vents that blow warm air, this can help generate moisture in your home. Make sure to fill it when it runs out.

Hopefully these tips will help you feel much more comfortable and healthy during the dark, cold, awful winter months. Let’s just keep our minds on spring and summer weather coming up in April or May!

Winter blahs, cold temperatures, lack of sunlight, and being stuck in smaller spaces can really put a damper on your health and happiness. You might feel dried out, cold, claustrophobic, and like it is going to be dark forever. Where have the hours in the day gone?

This article will provide some ideas for how to keep yourself feeling your best until spring arrives.

1. Use Humidifiers – Winter often means dry sinuses, bloody noses, and allergens flying and hanging in the dry air. If you have a forced-air furnace or other dry heat in your home, a humidifier is a life saver. If you have a small home, 1-2 humidifiers are best. If your house is medium sized, use three or four. If you have a larger home, it is best to put one in every room that you use often. Guest bedrooms may not be necessary, unless you have guests. If you do not have a heating method that dries the air out in winter, disregard this tip.

2. Make Room – One of the hardest things about winter is being stuck indoors. If you have a small living space, find out if you can move things, organize things, give things away, or throw things away to make room in your home. You may even be able to find storage space in your attic, garage, or somewhere else on your property. If you make some space, you can move around more freely. This leaves more space to work out and play at home. You will be surprised how much more space can make you feel better.

3. Sunshine Replacements – First step is to be sure you’re getting enough vitamin D. Take a supplement or find out which foods are high in this vitamin. The sun isn’t here to give us that vitamin, so we need to supplement. Secondly, consider purchasing or finding a light box. These are used to trick your mind and body into thinking there’s sunlight. Many people with seasonal depression find them useful. There may be UV ray lights on the market, such as lights you can use to grow indoor plants. Another option is to get a tanning bed, although expensive. These may provide the light you crave in the winter months. By the time February rolls around, this may be more important.

Very few people love winter. It can be very hard to get through, especially in regions with long winters that seem to take up 6 months of the year. The most important things to do are to keep your home moisture levels normal, make enough space so you don’t go crazy, exercise, and try to get vitamin D and light wherever you are able to.

We all know that bad posture is not very attractive, right? However, bad posture can actually hurt your overall health.

Slouching puts pressure on muscles, bones, and joints that are necessary for keeping your backbone in its place.

Slouching also squishes your organs together, and it can make it harder for your intestines and lungs to work correctly. Too much slouching can cause digestion issues and breathing issues.

Now that you understand the importance of learning and maintaining good posture, here are tips on how to help yourself.

1. Stand Up Straight – Pretend you are getting your height taken at the doctor’s office. Keep your head and your shoulders up, and tuck your belly in a little. Try looking in the mirror to see how you do. You should look like you have a string attached to your head, pulling you up to the sky.

2. Sit Correctly – Leaning back and slouching in your chair is bad. Especially if you spend hours a day there. Scoot your bum to the back of your chair, place a sweater, pillow, cushion or rolled up towel at your middle back. Make sure your knees are bent at 90 degrees, and keep your feet flat on the floor. Make sure your chair is at the right height.

3. Smart Phone Neck – Be aware that using your smart phone or other device can cause posture issues. When you have your head bent down to look at your phone, it strains the spine more than you’d think. Try to keep the phone at eye level whenever possible. Pay attention to your body positions when using your phone. Keep your head straight and your chin up. Take breaks, and stretch your back and neck once in a while.

4. Avoid High Heels – Although it may look nice, wearing high heels is bad for the back. They make the base of the spine move forward, and over-arches the back. This can cause nerve damage over time. High heels are also bad for your knees and ankles. Only wear them when you must.

5. Tone Your Core Muscles – Did you know that having belly weight puts stress on your back? When your core muscles are out of shape and weak, that is even worse. Tone your core, do some abdominal exercises, pay attention to your gut area, and build your spine-supporting muscles!

These tips are sure to help you. One last tip is to check your back. Stand with your back against a wall, with the back of your head touching the wall. Move your feet 6 inches away from the bottom of the wall. Your bum should touch the wall and your neck and lower back should be about 2 inches from the wall. If this doesn’t seem to be the case, you may want to see a doctor about your back.

Stand up straight, keep those shoulders back, support your spine, and enjoy a much healthier self!

This winter is going to be interesting in terms of staying healthy and working out.

If your gym is still open and you still aren’t ready to go back, there are plenty of things you can do at home that may satisfy you just as much.

Not only can you get a good workout at home, you can experience some new things offered by the health and wellness world. This article includes some of the newest health and fitness trends for winter 2020.

Rowing

There are some new rowing machines being sold for home use, including the Hydrow. It comes with a touch screen and speakers, Bluetooth, a handle, and more. Rowing machines are great for working out your legs, feet, arms, hands, core, and back all at once. They are relatively small, especially in comparison to a treadmill. If this excites you, look up some rowing machines for home gym use!

Red Light Therapy

This brand new form of therapy can boost your mood, your energy, and sleep quality. It may improve how your skin looks, and help with fitness and endurance. It can reduce pain, stress, inflammation, and body fat. Expect to see more red light therapy devices released soon.

Lymphatic Health

There has been a rise for the past 3 years in awareness of how important the lymphatic system of the body really is. This year, there is going to be an increase in spas that will offer treatments and services for the lymphatic health for its customers. They will be using massage techniques to help the system flow and move as it should. If someone is sick or inactive, their system can get backed up, and fluids can build up in the body. The lymphatic system staves off disease, reduces inflammation, and promotes digestion when it is functioning properly. Keep your eyes out for these services.

Self-Care

If the year 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we must take care of ourselves, or we fall apart or get sick. You may picture extravagant bubble baths with candles and the lights off, music playing. However, self-care is much more than finding comfort in silence and privacy. Self-care also includes forming habits that help you, or getting rid of old habits that harm you. Social distancing and closed attractions may have led to a much better understanding of ourselves. It slowed things down, and gave us perspective. Caring for yourself and giving yourself a life you want to live is so important to your health. Dance, sing, laugh, be silly, and smile every time you feel like it.

This year is helping us realize what is important, and what we can be doing differently to help ourselves. Enjoy!