Blog / December 12th, 2022
New year, new start
After a possible whirlwind of Christmas and other celebrations you may be looking forward to a time of renewal and we know the days become gradually longer although the light doesn’t seem to visibly change much in January. Can we make the most of the dark by storing up plans for the Spring and getting out in the few hours of daylight we have? Breathing outdoors in the winter cold can be invigorating and help beat the ‘winter blues’. This website has some interesting information about movement in the winter months and is a supportive community group to join to help your exercise at a time of year it’s most difficult to motivate ourselves physically: https://redtogether.co.uk/
Indoor activity like swimming or gym work can be a good option if the cold is too much. Spas and saunas are wonderfully warming when it’s cold outside, there’s bound to be one near you. We know that saunas have been used for many hundreds of years in the Scandanavian region and northern hemisphere, helping us to relax, heat our body in cold climates, inducing sweating and detoxifying our skin. It’s not for everyone but there’s plenty of online advice about health benefits and risks; see this site for example:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313109
You might like to include this webinar in your first week of the term encouraging us to move more to feel better:
Staying well and active at this time of year is a good way to keep on top of emotional blues. The British Heart Foundation has this article on winter walking:
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/activity/walking/winter-walking
And the time of resolutions may be leading you in the direction of assessing your diet, to reduce some ingredients and increase the healthier items. You might support a friend as well, to boost healthier eating habits after the potential excesses of the holiday celebrations.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/weight/perfect-portions/top-tips-for-portion-control is helpful with managing meals and the following article is to balance the sense of ‘no fun’ when dieting, called ’10 tips for healthier baking’:
Whatever your focus is this New Year remember to breathe, be kind to yourself, try something new and look up as you look ahead. Here’s to a peaceful and well-balanced 2023.