Winter is a time to enjoy being warm inside your home, a time to re-energize after the busyness of the year and plan the next year ahead. Despite being a time for coziness and great scarf weather, winter brings with it its own set of challenges. It is a time for getting cozy with friends and family but with this comes the added risk of infection and contagion with so many visitors coming in and out of your home. Viruses thrive in the cold weather, so making sure you know how to do your best to avoid coming down with something is more important than ever. To make sure you enjoy winter to the fullest, it’s important to know how to optimize your chances of staying safe in all weather, staying well and avoiding nasty illnesses.
Wash Your Hands
First and foremost, make sure you wash your hands after coming into contact with surfaces that you can’t guarantee are sanitised. Viruses that cause flu can survive on hard surfaces for 24 hours, so be sure to keep your hands washed and the surfaces throughout your home clean. When out and about substitute the sink, hot water and soap for hand sanitizer. Carry hand sanitizer with you as you leave the house and apply it at regular intervals during the day. You cannot be too careful where winter illnesses are concerned. Norovirus, otherwise known as the winter vomiting bug, runs wild in winter and the chances of contracting the virus peaks between November and March. Washing your hands vastly reduces your risk of infection since the chances of passing infectious agents to your face from your hands are cut significantly. It is by getting into your urogenital openings; such as your eye, mouth and nose, that microorganisms can spread and multiply in your body. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so stock on hand sanitizers, wash your hands and clean your house as often as you can.
Stay Warm
During the bleakest and bitterly cold months of the year, ensure you are warm and keep your house well heated and insulated. Respiratory infections can be exacerbated by staying in cold conditions, so it is paramount your living environment is kept warm for the sake of your health and happiness. If you have damp patches in your home and haven’t already sought resolve, then be sure to before the very wettest months are on you. It is preferable to stay wrapped up surrounded by blankets in front of the fire as often as you find yourself in the position to do so. Schedule and work-life permitting, you should try to settle down quietly and read a book or another restful pursuit instead of facing the elements outside. Think too about avoiding unnecessary visits to the doctor’s surgery, which are a hub of germs during the winter. If you require a repeat prescription for medications, then look at ordering online instead. You can save on going to see your doctor and browse on the web. Use eDrugSearch for example, and order your prescription drugs all while staying warm inside your own home.
Keep Fit
There’s no need to let your fitness regime slip just because it’s cold outside. If you’re one for usually running outside in the open, then sign up to become a member of your local gym. You can easily use their indoor facilities to continue chipping away at your goals and maintaining your level of fitness. Swimming is a great, low impact alternative to running should you wish to take advantage of the gym’s swimming pool through the winter months. Swimming is fun and plunging yourself into the jacuzzi afterwards should be high on your list. You should also try out the sauna and steam room. Sweating has long been utilised as a method of therapy, and as sweating increases circulation, it’s perfect to ease muscle soreness and ease arthritis pain. If this doesn’t sound quite like something you’d enjoy, then opt for body resistance training that is performed indoors.
Eat Well
You should always try to get a hearty breakfast, such as porridge. Oats and oatmeal boast a whole range of health benefits. For lunch have warming soups, homemade soups are a great way to increase your vegetable intake since you can blend any of your choices and make it quicker to consume the goodness you need from a variety of vegetables. Any vitamins and minerals that you require more of can found in pill form. Consider taking different supplements depending on any deficiencies you might have. Find these at wholefoods shops and go from there, consult your doctor before doing so, and once getting the go-ahead see how you feel after taking them.
Plan A Vacation
In the unfortunate event of you falling ill this winter, then having a short vacation already planned for the spring, for example, will give you something to look forward to when you’re not feeling well. Once you’re out the other side of feeling rotten, then you can get excited about how you will spend your time away.
Stay Safe On The Roads
You should avoid driving in adverse weather conditions. With the cold weather comes the perils of driving on ice and, while you may have bought some salt from somewhere like the Seton website here to help your driveway, not every surface will have been treated. Ice is unpredictable and can be anywhere on the road; just because you cannot see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Remember that stopping distances in rainy and icy conditions are greatly reduced. You should be aware and understand the danger of driving at these times. When driving on wet roads, the overall stopping distance is doubled, and when driving on ice is multiplied by ten. So, when driving on ice, you should stay ten times further away from the car in front of you than you usually would in normal dry conditions. During the winter there’s the possibility of snow, and when driving on such occasion, your vision is inexplicitly impaired. Much like snow, fog and sleet can be just as dangerous, so be aware, be safe, take care of the roads and drive more slowly.
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
