How to take care of yourself during Winter

Who doesn’t like to bask in the winter sun? But the dip in mercury also signals the arrival of the common cold and flu, which often escalate to pneumonia. Women are kids are more prone to infections and are more prone to sickness. There are various tips which should be followed cautiously to stay healthy as the mercury dips -

DO’S

- Keep Yourself  Warm
This indirectly helps and keep away the bacterial and viral infections. Cold condition decrease your immune, increasing the chances of cold,flu and pneumonia.

- Drink Plenty Of  Water
You don’t feel as thirsty as in summer, so the water intake tend to decrease in winter, one tend to consume hot drinks like tea and coffee. But, caffeine also draws water from the system causing dehydration. Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water per day.

- Exercise Regularly
with shorter daylight time, we tend to wake up late in the winter and slow down. Our fitness routine is usually put on the back burner. Make an conscious effort to follow a daily exercise routine. An extra 20 mins of physical activity helps to improve circulation and keep those extra pounds at bay.

- Massage Your Hands And Feet
To prevent chiliblain ( small, itchy, blue swellings ) in extreme cold temperatures, as are prevalent in Northern part, massage your palms, fingers, toe and heels with warm vegetables oil.

- Get At Least Eight Hours Of  Sleep
Managing the recommended eight-hours of sleep is crucial as a lack of it lowers one’s immunity and energy level during winter. Avoid alcohol and nicotine for a good sleep.

- Take care of hands and feet
This is a must for everyone. Foot care is important for diabetics to avoid infections that can lead to gangrene.

- Keep a regular check on your blood sugar
As exercise tends to decrease in winter and infections are on the rise, this is a potential time for elderly diabetics to fall easy prey to obstinate infections that get exaggerated if one’s blood sugar is uncontrolled. A regular check of blood sugar is recommended for diabetics.

- Get checked for anemia
Low hemoglobin can predispose you to infections and other winter ailments. Improving hemoglobin adequately keeps you better poised to avoid and confront infections.

- Have plenty of vegetables and fruits
Winter is the season especially in humid cities for good seasonal vegetables and fruits. Feel free to binge on them as they improve immunity and keep the body in supply of its requirements of anti oxidants, vitamins and minerals.

DON’TS

- Don’t forget vitamin D
Those in very cold places are at risk of not getting vitamin D during winter, when the UV radiation from the sun’s rays is weak. A vitamin D supplement of 200 IU is recommended.

- Don’t forget to moisturize
That winter wind is damaging to our skin, so the best beauty secret is to moisturize as frequently as possible. Everything from your hair to your skin starts to feel scaly so stock up on thick luxurious moisturizers and use the chapstick! Moisturized wipes will be useful if you have a cold.

- Don’t get into the “eating only high calorie food” loop
When the environs are cold, many of us fall back on carb and fat heavy comfort food like pasta, thick creamy soups etc. However, this will not only hinder your weight loss goals but also make you lethargic and sleepy.

- Don’t overlook sunscreen
Summer is not the only time to worry about using sunscreen. Surprisingly, skin damage is a great concern even in a snowsuit. Wearing at least an SPF 15 when outdoors in the winter is recommended. The glare from the snow can be so harmful, so it’s good idea to wear goggles.

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