Water, the Coldest Element of All
Winter is upon us already and I cannot believe it! The temperatures are dropping, the animals are migrating or hibernating, and we are taking out the heaviest clothes we own. It is the extreme (or polar if you like puns) opposite of Summer and depending on your preference, this is a time you love or despise!
Winter is the time of the Water element/phase. It is the Coldest out of all and represents the time of storage and conservation to make it through to Spring. Our bodies transition into slowing down overall as a result. Here are some tips to having a healthy Winter:
Eat with the season
Down this road again I know but this time of year tends to be tricky for some people and it leads to digestive disturbances and lowered immunity. Like farmers, Winter is the time where we eat what we saved from harvesting in the Fall and that means some foods and spices will overlap as a result such as having ginger or cinnamon. Depending on your region there are foods that still grow during the early and middle sections of Winter. For us in New York, Beets, Potatoes, Winter Squash, Broccoli, and Cauliflower come around November and December. These foods are generally warming and heartier due to the harsh conditions they endure which transfer those benefits to us. This the time for eating stews and soups (especially with Beef). Fruits get confusing because being in modern times we have access to anything we want. However, this is the time for eating Citrus fruits! Caution must be exercised because fruits are Cold in nature so they must be balanced out. It doesn’t make sense to be in the Coldest season of the year and binging on Iced drinks and Cold foods!
Scale back the intensity of activity levels
This is a big one for anyone who does a lot of physical activity. Just like the Summer, this should be the time where you don’t exercise or do activities as intense as you would in Spring or Fall. This doesn’t mean do less reps or less activity completely, just put more into periods of rest between activities or exercises (this is not an excuse to be a slug!). Since the Summer where the Heart is at its utmost activity, during the Winter it is at its weakest. If you think about it, Summer and Winter have the highest amount of Heart attacks and strokes (how many times have you heard of someone having a Heart problem shoveling snow?). Just exercise enough to let your Heart pump and not pound.
Go to sleep earlier!
Since indoor lighting and electricity is a thing, we tend to get complacent about the time of day. Now that the days are shorter and the nights are longer, we should be going to sleep earlier and waking up later (if possible) to follow our natural internal rhythm. Even if you can do this by an extra hour you will notice a difference!
Lay off that thermostat!
Just like Summer, we are in an extreme time. Instead of cranking the air conditioning we end up cranking up the heat. This dehydrates us by drying us out, making us sweat, and creates an unnatural excess of Heat in our bodies which lead us to getting sick with conditions that would normally be seen during the Summer if it were to happen. Climate control has made it all backwards. I’m not saying that we should shiver and not use our indoor heating but you should have it to where you are comfortable and not having your skin and throat dry out. If you wear proper clothing and eat the proper foods, you would be surprised at the reduced need for higher indoor heat levels.
With these things in mind please have a safe and healthy holiday season!