Staying healthy in the winter can be a real challenge, especially when you have children at home. If they go to school, they are likely exposed to a variety of viruses on a regular basis. It can also be difficult to stay healthy in the winter if you are dealing with extreme weather situations, since you may not be able to get outside as often as you would like for exercise and fresh air.
Since we are committed to helping families stay healthy, we want to share with you 4 steps to staying healthy in the wintertime.
- Make sure you are getting enough sleep.
Sleep plays a key role in helping you maintain or improve your physical health. It’s especially important for kids and teens, because according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, “deep sleep triggers the body to release the hormone that promotes normal growth in children and teens.”
Not only this, but a lack of sleep can have a significant impact on your physical health, both in the short and long-term. Some of the negative effects of insufficient sleep include increased risk of cancer, high blood pressure, and decreased immune function. Making sleep a key priority in your daily routine will help you to maintain your health in the winter and all year long.
- Take your vitamins regularly.
Due to the increased exposure to bacteria and viruses during the wintertime, it is extremely important to be making sure that your body is getting the nutrition it needs.
One way to accomplish this is to make sure you are providing your family with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-rich foods. But even if you eat extremely healthy and organic meals each day, it is likely that you are still missing some of the key nutrients your body needs.
Another way to ensure that you are getting the proper nutrition is to take a high quality supplement in addition to your healthy diet. It’s important that you choose a vitamin supplement that is backed up with science and research rather than simply choosing one based on an advertisement or the cheapest option on the shelf at Target. We shop online with a U.S. based manufacturer that produces the best nutritional supplements we’ve come across.
Of course, you want to make sure that you use high quality supplements not only for yourself, but also for your children. This will help their immune system to stay strong throughout the winter and all year long. Thankfully, we can purchase our children’s supplements at this same online store.
- Reduce your exposure to bacteria.
Another important factor in staying healthy in the wintertime is keeping bacteria at bay. There are several ways to do this, but there’s a few key things you should be doing each day:
- Make sure everyone in the family washes their hands regularly with soap and water. Teach the kids to scrub for more than just a few seconds, since it takes longer (at least 20 seconds) to actually remove and kill the germs on your hands.
- Ensure that you are keeping frequently touched surfaces cleaned and disinfected. Common areas to focus on are door handles, kitchen counter tops, sinks, bathrooms, and remote controls.We prefer to use a botanical disinfectant that kills 99.9% of household germs without the negative effects of bleach. This is a safer option than products that have toxic chemicals, yet it still allows us to rest assured that we are keeping our home healthy.
- Use hand sanitizer when necessary. When you’re out and about with the kids, you can keep a travel size hand sanitizer in your purse or diaper bag. There are bound to be times when you won’t have access to soap and water for washing hands, so sanitizer can be your backup to help fight off those germs and bacteria you’re exposed to in the community.
- Stay physically active and get outside.
Just because it is cold or snowy outside doesn’t mean that you are not able to stay physically active. There are plenty of options for you and your kids even during the winter months.
One idea would be to have a fun time of exercise together indoors. There are several free YouTube channels for both kids and adults where they provide a variety of workouts and fun exercise programs. Another idea is to bundle up and head outside. The research actually shows that getting outside in the winter is a GOOD idea – it doesn’t cause you to get sick contrary to popular belief. In fact, the fresh air helps you to build up your immunity and fight of the germs and bacteria you’re exposed to indoors.
As long as you make sure to plan for the temperatures and be aware of the windchill, you can enjoy some fresh air while going for a walk, snowshoeing, skiing, or any other fun outdoor activity.
By putting these steps into place, you can help to ensure that you and your family stay healthy in the wintertime.
To learn more about where we shop to keep our family healthy in the winter and all year long, just contact us.