Tips for Feeling Better when it's Cold Outside

Summer is definitely over, and Autumn is slowly morphing into frosty mornings and chilly dark evenings. It’s natural to feel a bit less energetic and like you’d rather stay in bed with the cat, but sometimes this slugglishness can begin to affect our quality of life, especially if the cool weather brings aching joints and sniffles! In this blog, we have some solid ideas to help you feel better at this time of year.

1. Get outside! Not only can getting moving benefit your joint mobility and health, but getting some natural ‘blue’ light during daylight hours helps keep our circadian rhythms in synch, which can help balance out those winter blahs. You may be surprised how much duller inside lighting is than outdoors, even on a cloudy day.

1. Boost your nutrition. As well as checking out our bone broth recipe for general nutrition, it is worth considering intake of vitamin D and tryptophan over the coming months. Vitamin D is required for immunity and has an important role in bone health. It is in Puraz multivitamins for woman and men, and you can also boost your intake with consumption of oily fish, full fat or fortified dairy products and egg yolks. Tryptophan is an amino acid that can help chase away that grey day feeling by encouraging your brain to produce the ‘happy hormone’ serotonin. Food sources include salmon, turkey, eggs, spinach and seeds, but if you are looking for a regular dose, it is also in our Sleep Manager.

1. Wheat bags and hotties. It’s oldschool, but it works. As it is not usually possible to stay warm in bed all day, investing in a wheat bag can be a great idea for warming those achey knees and wrists while you are working or watching TV.

1. Could you be SAD? If you have a bad case of the winter blues that is negatively affecting your day-to-day life, you may be suffering from ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder’. This condition may require professional help. The Mental Health Foundation has information about SAD at mentalhealth.org.nz