In light of what we have been through the past two years, looking ahead to the winter months and it seems the increased risk of getting sick through that period of time is more frightening than ever before. In our last blog, I talked about the potential hazards to our health from now until January 2, 2023. Let’s take a look at how we can navigate this minefield of potential health hazards.
I want to start with the easiest seasonal hazard to tackle first. Get plenty of rest. This is essential because when we sleep our bodies are super busy doing all kinds of maintenance and repair work on a cellular level. This type of work requires a lot of energy. Have you ever weighed yourself before bed and weighed yourself when you got up in the morning only to find you lost a half pound or more? Yes, it is easy to attribute that weight loss to your morning bathroom trip, but it is more than that. You expended energy repairing the cells of your body that were damaged, old, or worn out from your daily activities. You needed to move some of the cellular waste to the disposal plants of the body, like the liver, kidneys, and lungs. This all took energy and when you rest the energy that you saved from not moving around and doing things was diverted to those processes.
Getting more rest is a little easier because it gets dark sooner and that prompts us to go to bed sooner. We need to remember this though as we move into some of the seasonal parties and get togethers that occur at this time of the year. Make sure you have thought ahead to have a specific time that you know you must leave, go home, and get to bed. This alone will help you immensely during this time of year.
The second hazard we need to tackle is our nutrition. Bear in mind that excessive amounts of sugar are extremely hard on the immune system. This time of year is fraught with extremely sugary foods. We consume everything from pumpkin spice lattes to gobs of candy. People set out bowls of candy at work to be festive and nice. You need to be strong willed enough to resist that temptation or at least set a maximal amount that you can consume on a daily basis.
When we add the idea of nutrition to the fact that it is getting dark earlier in the day, we can see that we lose sunlight and thus a huge source of vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential in calcium absorption. Calcium is of course needed for strong bones but is also a major player in muscle contractions and other important bodily functions. Again, to carry a theme, if we do not have enough calcium our muscles will fatigue more easily than normal. This fatigue will put a stress on our immune system and thus make us more susceptible to disease.
We need to pay attention not only to the amount of sugar intake, vitamin D, but to vitamin C as well. Vitamin C is super at enhancing the immune system. Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin C and many of the fruits are sweet enough to help you curb that desire for the candies and cookies that are so prevalent from now till next January!
The last hazard I want to address is water consumption. When the body undergoes repair and nightly regeneration, the waste by products are dumped into the blood stream and the digestive tract. These by products are toxic and hazardous. They need to be eliminated. The number one agent for speeding that process is water. We can easily equate the water with elimination of wastes through our urine, but water’s impact on the bowel is likely even more important. The bowel is intimately involved with immune system. If the bowel is blocked, impeded, or obstructed your immune system is at risk.
The bottom line here is that we need to do everything we can for our families and for ourselves to keep our systems operating at their highest level of efficiency. The falling leaves, cooler temperatures, and the beginning of the end of year series of holidays should serve as your reminder to increase your diligence on being as healthy as possible.
If you have any questions or would like more information on what you can do to keep yourself as prepared as possible for the winter stress, please click the links for our social media pages on our website’s home page or use the chat app on the home page to message me directly.
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