This winter has been particularly harsh across the country. From polar vortexes, ice storms, blizzards, and drought, no one has been spared the wrath of Mother Nature. The unseasonably cool temperatures, coupled with nasty weather gave me reason to think about a few doctor recommended simple ways to stay healthy in winter.
1. Wash Your Hands. Frequent hand washing in warm soapy water cuts down on the spread of germs and viruses. Always wash your hands when returning home and encourage your children to do the same. Have them sing the alphabet while hand washing to ensure they’re taking the necessary time to kill those germs!
2. Stay Hydrated. In cold weather, we don’t often feel thirsty and as a result, we’re drinking less water. Try to drink half of your weight in ounces of water each day. By way of example, if you weigh 160 pounds, try to drink 80 ounces of water daily. If you drink caffeinated beverages, you need to increase your water intake even more.
3. Keep Moving. For many of us, the winter months mean long days indoors. Just because it is too cold to go outside, doesn’t mean you can’t do some type of exercise. Yoga, stretching, sit ups, planking, and many other exercises do not require any additional equipment and are easy to do in the home. Make it a practice to incorporate at least 30 minutes of exercise into your day.
4. Add More Super Foods and Probiotics to your diet. It is difficult to reach for grilled fish, steamed vegetables, and whole grain brown rice when wind is howling “eat chicken pot pie tonight” just outside your window. While I am a firm believer in moderation, it is easy to stray despite my own best efforts. I eat spinach and cinnamon daily in my breakfast smoothie; and most days I throw in a blueberries and raw oats as well. Those four foods are amazing fuel for your body, an added bonus is that they taste DELICIOUS, too!
Incorporating a natural probiotic, like Insync Probiotic, into my diet has been helpful in regulating my body. I find with each small step I make toward healthier living, the next steps come easier. Insync Probiotic is a small gradual release caplet containing doctor recommended B. Infantis per serving.
For the last few weeks, I’ve been taking one caplet every morning with my smoothie and feel great.
Remember, if you are pregnant or nursing your sweet baby, taking any medications (including oral antibiotics), or have a medical condition, consult your doctor before taking any supplements, including Insync Probiotic.
What steps are you taking to stay healthy in winter?
Follow @InsyncProbiotic on Twitter and like their Facebook page http://facebook.com/insyncprobiotic to learn more. You can purchase Insync Probiotic at most Walgreens locations.
I actually haven’t taken any steps at all besides trying to eat better. I’ve always been in great shape but now that I’m getting older I may have to rethink a few things.
It’s tough getting older, isn’t it?! My issue is remembering to drink enough during the day. I get busy, and forget. I don’t seem to have that problem in the summer though.
I totally believe in the power of probiotics! Take one every day!
These are some good tips. We haven’t been sick this winter (knock on wood) and I’m hoping that stays the same ’til spring!
Good for you! We had a few “sniffles” but nothing major this winter…here’s to hoping we stay healthy!
Staying hydrated is my biggest challenge in the winter. I’m just not thirsty! If its hot of course I crave a cool drink, but in winter not so much!
I drink more sparkling water in the winter than I do in the summer. In the summer, I’m drinking it too fast to deal with the carbonation!
I’m all about drinking water I live for it.
I’ve been trying to focus on adding fruits and veggies to our diet this winter as in years past i’ve slacked in that area because prices go up and with the products in stores not being local, they just don’t seem to taste as good. So we’ve been trying to add in frozen fruits instead.
I was just telling another reader that I’ve been eating a ton of grapefruit this winter. While they aren’t local to us by any stretch of the imagination, they’ve been surprisingly affordable. I purchased a 5 pound bag for $1.99 the other day.
Don’t forget a multi-vitamin! With fresh fruits & vegetables scarcer in the winter you have to make sure you’re getting every vitamin you need!
Indeed, a multivitamin is super important! I’ve been eating tons of grapefruit, but that’s about it in terms of fruits!
Gorgeous photos! I love your light green mason jar!
Thank you! The light green jars are limited edition – better grab some for yourself before they’re gone!
KKnock wood I’ve had a reasonably healthy winter so far. As good as it gets anyway. If I do start to feel under the weather I drink lots of oj and chicken boullion (not together of course).
I have been meaning to try probiotics, but I haven’t yet. I will, I swear! Until then, I am kind of militant about hand washing. My mine year old is sick as we speak and I am hoping I don’t get it!
I hope your little one doesn’t pass along his germs to you! So hard for moms to avoid getting sick when little ones are sick! I always want to wear gloves, but think it would freak out my son!
Staying hydrated is probably my biggest pitfall!I know I really need to drink more water.
Great tips, I really need to make a conscious effort to stay healthier in the Fall & Winter. We’re pretty susceptible to colds and flu here.
and wash your hands!! ad nauseum!!
I want those green jars too!! LOVE!
The green jars are wicked cute! They look even better in the cabinet next to my blue ones! EEK!
I’ve been drinking so much water lately to combat this flu I have, great tips!
I have been taking my vitamins, drink so much more water than I normally would and of course keeping my hands clean. I have to stay healthy not only for my sake but for the sake and health of my baby.
I have to admit I probably move a lot less in winter – I honestly just want to hibernate a lot of the time. Good list of tips 🙂 x
I wash my hands so many times and I drink tons of water but I need to eat a bit better, especially green veggies. I’m also going to talk to my doctor about probiotics since I don’t know much about it.
We don’t have winter in our parts of the world but we experienced a colder climate than what is usual for this time of the year. So yes, hydration and multi-vitamins; we specifically loaded ourselves up with Vitamin C.
Really great tips! I did try my best to stay as healthy as possible but winter makes me blue so I tend to stay home and not do a lot of activities. I should stock up of some probiotics!
Have you discussed light therapy with your doctor? You might find that helpful in cheering you up a bit during the winter months.
I wash my hands regularly, but other than that, I don’t think I do nearly enough to stay healthy. Fortunately, I have a pretty great immune system. Still, I could probably use some probiotics added to my routine!
We’ve had a very dry winter here and it was out of the ordinary.. I kept getting dehydrated and I’m constantly feeling weak. I’m going to take into account all your tips bc I don’t know what else to do anymore! I need my health back.
I’m a big believer in vitamins! I know that I don’t eat right, and I struggle with the kids daily to get them to eat right. I’ll have to look into these! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I love green smoothies! Great tips!
I’ve been making a ton of smoothies to stay healthy!
Danielle at Framed Frosting
I’m working on a smoothie recipe right now! They are so delicious – and easy!
Definitely drinking more water and it always helps me to drink more when I use straws. I don’t know why maybe because I seen to drink more on each sip.
I love your comment about drinking with a straw. I find that if I use a certain type of cup, I drink more!
These are great points. I think people forget that winter colds come mainly form contact with germs not the cold season and our washing hands is very important.
I like preparing smoothies and oatmeal too. I wish we have fresh blueberries soon. I miss it!
I recently found out about this brand. I don’t do great on supplements. So for probiotic I rely on home made yogurt.
it can be so hard to stay healthy in winter! Especially this winter with such crazy temperature changes! It can be 40 one day in Florida, and then 80 the next day. Great tips! We love green smoothies!
I miss Florida winters! I hope you’re enjoying the warm temps, we’re freezing here on Cape Cod!
These are some smart tips and easy to do also. I have often tried probiotics over the years and have had some success with several different brands. I have never heard of this one Insync until now. I will have to look for it.
I have kids that go to public school. I don’t think it’s possible to stay healthy in winter. lol. But seriously. We do a lot of your tips. I also add in using a lot of essential oils, diffusing them around the house, herbal teas and multi-vitamins in addition to probiotics, hand washing and being hydrated.
Isn’t it crazy how quickly germs spread in a school setting! When my son was an infant, he attended daycare and our pediatrician recommended changing his clothing as soon as we came home to prevent the spread of germs! I followed his advice, and while it meant more laundry, he was healthy for the most part!
Great tips. I need to drink more water for sure.
This sounds like a great product and would work well for my family. I’ll look for it.
These are some great tips for staying healthy during this very rough winter. #client