Healthy Tips Challenge Week Two

Week 2: Wintertime Wellbeing—Don't let cold weather stand in your way!

It seems like we all slow down a little once the weather gets cold. Because winter—and its cold, dry air and minimal sunlight—affects our energy, immune system, and mood, it's especially important to take steps to counteract the negative effects of the season.

This week's tips will show you how to align your wellness goals with the challenges of winter:

Cold temperatures and low humidity
Less physical activity
Less sunlight and shorter days

Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean you can't make healthy decisions about how you eat, move, and recharge! Here are some helpful tips on how to stay healthy this year.

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Explore the tips and tools below

Move

Explore creative ways to stay active throughout the cold season

In the wintertime, it can be difficult to stay active when we are spending the majority of our time indoors. Don't let this stop you! Whether indoors or outdoors, there are lots of exercises and activities you can do to keep moving. On milder days, try an outdoor activity like brisk walking, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. On frigid days, explore fitness training apps and websites to find workouts you can do inside.

Love the outdoors? Try snowshoeing, winter walking or hiking, alpine or nordic skiing, ice skating, hockey, or even just getting your inner child outside for some sledding or a snowball fight. And don't forget, cold-weather house work like shoveling snow also counts as exercise!

If you prefer to stay out of the cold, you can also have fun moving by taking low-cost online or streamable physical activity classes, using a workout or fitness app (like our recommended app below,) or just taking extra laps through your workspace or hitting the staircases during breaks.

Bonus tip: Keep a list of activities to choose to keep things interesting and help you to stay motivated. Try participating in 2-5 different activities throughout the week.

Freeletics Virtual Trainer App

Choose your goals and adapt your training journey to what works for you. All workouts can be done at your own pace, with no equipment needed!

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13 Tips to Stay Active This Winter

Explore some of our favorite ideas for indoor and outdoor winter activities for you and your family.

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Recharge

Harness the power of the sun

Shorter days and less sunlight during winter can lead to stress, exhaustion, and lower serotonin levels (a.k.a. the chemicals that make us feel happy). Because of this, it's vital to get enough vitamin D either through direct sunlight or healthy foods and vitamin supplements. Plus, natural sunlight helps to sync up our circadian rhythms and promotes deeper, more restorative sleep.

Take advantage of sunny days and get outside, even if only for a few minutes. The boost of sunlight can have a transformational effect on your mood and energy levels.

Another great way to make sure you're getting the benefits of sunlight is to invest in a light-therapy sun lamp. These light sources do not emit harmful UV rays and can be used by nearly everyone. However, it's always recommended to talk to your primary care doctor before starting light therapy. There are many types of sun lamps available for various uses or preferences, and some even dual-function as alarm clocks as well.

Solar Clock: Circadian Rhythm App (Google Play)

This helpful app syncs the solar time with your local time and provides tools to align your sleep patterns with the natural cycle of the sunset and sunrise, while tracking your sleep patterns and performance over time.

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Sleepytime Sleep Scheduler (iOS)

Nothing is more important than getting a good night's sleep, and waking up in a good shape lets you make the most of your day! SleepyTime is an app designed to help you wake up in-between sleep cycles and allows you to start the day with a clear mind.

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Sun Salutation Yoga Routine

In yoga, a sun salutation is meant to awaken the senses and show gratitude to the sun. In addition to relaxing the mind, this simple but effective workout stimulates full-body circulation while stretching, flexing, and toning muscles.

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Eat

Stay hydrated in cold, dry weather

Wintertime also means dryness, both indoors and outdoors. Throughout the winter months, it's especially important to drink enough water every day. Staying hydrated is crucial to keeping your whole body healthy and functioning at its best. Invest in a good reusable water bottle to keep with you throughout the day and set reminders to hydrate.

Always take a water bottle with you and keep track of how much water you're consuming throughout the day. Set goals and reminders to help you stay on top of your body's needs to avoid dehydration. Research indicates that once the body feels thirsty, it's already become dehydrated.

There are lots of other ways to hydrate aside from just drinking water. Herbal tea, seltzer, and juice are all good choices (just watch the sugar intake!). Additionally, many foods have a high water content and can help keep your body hydrated. Examples are cucumbers, yogurt, citrus fruits, lettuce, tomatoes and soups. For more about healthy hydrating foods, check out this article by Healthline.

Waterlogged App (iOS devices only)

Build personalized charts, set reminders, and track your progress to stay on top of daily water consumption goals

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Seasonal Food Guide

Fresh produce can vary widely depending on the time of year. This helpful website can help you identify which fruits and vegetables are locally in season wherever you are.

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Healthy Tips Challenge

Week 2

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You're on week two of six in the One Small Thing Healthy Tips Challenge. Keep it up!

Week 2: Wintertime Wellbeing—Don't let cold weather stand in your way!

Share Your Tips Experience to Earn Points for Prizes

Explore the tips and tools below

Move

Explore creative ways to stay active throughout the cold season

Freeletics Virtual Trainer App

13 Tips to Stay Active This Winter

Recharge

Harness the power of the sun

Solar Clock: Circadian Rhythm App (Google Play)

Sleepytime Sleep Scheduler (iOS)

Sun Salutation Yoga Routine

Eat

Stay hydrated in cold, dry weather

Waterlogged App (iOS devices only)

Seasonal Food Guide