Health and nutrition experts frequently use the term “wellness,” but it might not be clear at the start which aspects of healthy living are included under such a broad term. After all, some may use it in reference to physical well-being while others are speaking mainly about mental health. In truth, it can refer to both and many other aspects of your overall health as well.

So what is wellness exactly? How can you achieve wellness or at least work toward it as a goal? You can think of wellness as the regular practice of healthy habits done in active pursuit of holistic health, or the health of your entire being. This applies to your physical and mental health along with 6 other distinct categories. The 8 dimensions of wellness include the following: emotional or mental, financial, environmental, intellectual, social, occupational, physical, and spiritual (1). The goal of wellness is to maintain your health in each of these areas by forming and following healthy routines that fit your lifestyle.

In this article, we will focus on winter wellness tips that can help you through even the harshest months of the year. Our wellness guide 101 will walk you through various health products and safety tips that you and your loved ones can use for nearly instant results in improving both your mental and physical well-being. For even more information, check out another of our articles that contains 5 tips for winter wellness.

1. Health And Wellness Tips For Winter

It’s difficult to adhere to health goals at any time of the year, but it can be especially hard to stick with your health and wellness initiatives for winter. Unpleasant weather, busy holidays, food cravings, and mental health struggles can all make staying healthy during the cold months a bit more challenging. If you’re unsure about where to start on your wellness journey or how to carry it forward from the warm summer months, check out these 8 winter tips for healthy living!

• Make skin care a priority. Whether it’s the frigid air of the outdoors or the warmth inside your house, it’s nearly impossible to escape dryness in winter. This dryness can quickly sap the moisture from your skin, so you may want to use a moisturizer that suits your skin type. Taking showers in lukewarm water can also reduce dryness in your skin.
• Try eating seasonal fruits and vegetables. Grapefruit, kiwis, mandarins, oranges, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower are all available fresh in the winter months and are often excellent sources of vitamin C, an essential nutrient for maintaining a healthy immune system to combat colds and flu (2).
• Find a fitness routine that works for you. You don’t have to stay cooped up in the gym to exercise in winter. Winter sports like skiing, sledding, and snowboarding are great ways for the whole family to get active together. Even simple activities at home like shoveling snow, taking a walk, or having a snowball fight with your kids can help you burn a few calories.
• Dress for the weather. Layer up before you head outside, even if it’s just to the mailbox. After all, you never know when you could end up locked out of your house or stranded outside for an unforeseen amount of time. Wearing layers for outdoor winter exercise is also equally important to keep your body insulated.
• Drink plenty of water. Dehydration is just as possible in winter as it is under the hot summer sun. You might even feel less thirsty when working outside in lower temperatures, which puts you at a dangerous risk of dehydration if you’re not careful. 11-15 cups of water per day should be the hydration goal for the average adult.
• Create your own wellness routine. A wellness routine typically centers around a few healthy habits that you want to incorporate into your daily life. From anxiety-relieving habits like journaling to simple additions to your day like taking an energy-boosting multivitamin, you can help yourself stay motivated and focused in the otherwise draining and dreary months of winter.
• Give meditation a try. In a similar vein to wellness routines, meditation may help relieve the added stress and negative feelings that often appear during winter. By practicing meditation regularly, you may even be able to improve the quality of your sleep or augment your ability to focus. 
• Find new activities. For many people, it feels like there is less to do in the winter, resulting in feelings of boredom and listlessness. Take advantage of your time spent indoors by picking up a new hobby like painting, knitting, or even learning a language. Making it a family or couple activity can increase the fun for everyone.

2. Winter Safety Tips

Harsh conditions can make the winter season dangerous both indoors and outdoors, especially for employees who commute to work or perform tasks outside. For the sake of convenience, we have broken our list of essential winter safety tips into several categories, each one equally as important as the last. 

Outdoor winter safety tips

• Wear layers even when going to the mailbox. Young children should wear one more layer of clothing than an adult would wear (3).
• Use sunscreen.
• Spread kitty litter or sand on icy walkways.

Covid winter safety tips

• Wash hands frequently.
• Use hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching the nose, eyes, and mouth.

Winter safety tips for employees

• Remove snow and ice from the roof of your car and your windshield before driving.
• Invest in quality tires.
• Leave early in case of inclement weather and to avoid speeding in unsafe conditions.

Winter safety tips for home

• Check to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are functional.
• Have your furnace inspected before the cold arrives.
• Make sure your fireplace is properly vented.

3.Winter Wellness Products

Now, let’s take a look at a few health products that would make a great fit for any winter wellness kit. From skin care to supplements, these products can drastically improve your seasonal experience and help you make the most of your winter holidays.

Essential Oils

Winter wellness essential oils are great for both emotional and physical self care. Many people turn to warming oils in particular to help stave off the winter chill. Examples of warming oils include black pepper, clove bud, ginger, juniper berry, and rosemary, all of which can also help with the increase in aches that occur in muscles and joints during winter (4). Peppermint, an especially common choice for the season thanks to its chilly scent, is another excellent oil for energy or invigoration as well as clearing of the sinuses (5). Before utilizing any types of essential oils, however, be sure to check the instructions on proper usage and ensure that you don’t have any allergies to the oils involved.

Sleep Aid

Sleep is an essential part of our wellness, both mentally and physically. Without proper amounts of sleep, your body will feel drained of energy, and your brain may not be equipped to handle your daily tasks. Some might find it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep in winter, whether it be from cold, dry air disrupting your comfort or insomnia as a symptom of seasonal affective disorder.

Humidifiers are one of the best winter wellness products to counteract the dryness in the air that may result from your furnace providing heat. Adding extra moisture to the air may reduce the discomfort of itchy skin and chapped lips that makes sleeping even more difficult. Not to mention, if you or a loved one is suffering from a cold or other form of respiratory infection, humidity may ease breathing and help break up mucus (6).

Vitamin D Supplement

Though it is among the daily essential vitamins and minerals, vitamin D is occasionally difficult to come by, especially during months with little to no sunshine. Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is produced when sunlight reacts with a protein in your skin. In the winter months, inclement weather may keep you from venturing outside often enough to produce the necessary amount of this important nutrient, sometimes leading to the development of deficiencies.

For some, a vitamin D supplement is an invaluable addition to any winter wellness pack. Physically, vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium as well as its anti-inflammatory properties. Mentally, it plays an important role in mood regulation and may even be able to reduce symptoms of depression. One study in particular found that supplementing individuals experiencing major depressive disorder with vitamin D lowered their negative emotions (7).

4. Winter Wellness Ideas

One of the best winter wellness ideas that can augment your health in a variety of areas is to start taking a multivitamin. Nutrition is important at all ages, meaning that multivitamins are useful for every member of the family. Since the winter months are often full of celebrations that are accompanied by unhealthy food choices that can unbalance your diet, utilizing a multivitamin may be an effective way to make sure all family members are getting all of their essential nutrients every day. However, it’s important to check with your doctor before taking any supplements in order to ensure they are the right fit for your health needs.

Better Family’s Liquid Daily Multivitamin contains a diverse blend of nutrients such as the B complex vitamins, vitamins A, E, D, and K, and important minerals like zinc, iodine, chromium, and selenium. This all-in-one liquid solution can be consumed sublingually and is more concentrated than other liquid multivitamins, making it the standout choice among competitors for fast absorption of only the highest quality micronutrients. Both safe and effective, our Liquid Daily Multivitamin is a great choice for any household and can be given to family members of all ages.

Resources

1. “The Eight Dimensions of Wellness.” William & Mary, 2022, https://www.wm.edu/offices/wellness/about/eight-dimensions/index.php.
2. “7 Tips for Staying Healthy Over Winter.” Heart Foundation, 2022, https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/blog/7-tips-for-staying-healthy-over-winter.
3. “15 Simple Winter Safety Tips for Kids.” Cleveland Clinic, 11 December 2020, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/parents-know-these-winter-safety-tips.
4. “Warming Essential Oils For Colder Months.” Oleo Bodycare, 4 March 2021, https://www.oleobodycare.co.uk/blog/article/warming-essential-oils-for-colder-months.
5. Bell, Allison. “Are You More Dehydrated in the Winter?” Intermountain Healthcare, 18 February 2021, https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/live-well/2021/02/are-you-more-dehydrated-in-the-winter.
6. Mayo Clinic Staff. “Humidifiers: Ease Skin, Breathing Symptoms.” Mayo Clinic, 8 June 2021, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/in-depth/humidifiers/art-20048021.
7. Cheng, Ying-Chih et al. “The Effect of Vitamin D Supplement on Negative Emotions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Depression and Anxiety, June 2020, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32365423.