A Practical Guide to Staying Healthy over the Winter

Winter begins in less than 3 weeks and the 40 shortest days of the year starts today. 

In the northeast, daylight will average around 9.5 hours, less than 40% of the 24 hour day. It will also be colder.

This affects our wellbeing in multiple ways and we risk giving up some health gains we made during the rest of the year. 

We spend less time outdoors and in the sun, our mood and energy levels sink, and we gain weight.

In this post, I catalog some of the potential negative health effects and then offer practical guidance to maintain and even improve our health during this time of the year.

Note: While seasonal factors might affect those in colder climates more, people in warmer climates can also pay a price, especially by factors related to the fewer hours of sunlight.

Seasonal Health Risks

Here is a brief list of some of the ways our health might be negatively affected during the winter months.

1. Weight Gain - As I discussed in detail last week, there is a seasonal component to fluctuations in weight.

Slight weight gain during the winter might not be too big a deal, especially, if we are maintaining a trend lower over a longer time frame, but if we are gaining 1-2 pounds annually, as is common in the US, winter weight gain will accumulate.

Better to maintain weight during the winter or lose even a small amount.

2. Sleep - We are rhythmic animals. For proof, just place your hand over your heart and feel the tempo of it beating.

Sleep is rhythmic too and it is tied to the daily cycle of sunlight and darkness. 

Sleep disruptions can have profound negative effects on how we function from our energy levels to mood and irritability to our ability to concentrate and the quality of the decisions we make.

In the winter, our sleep often suffers as we get less natural sunlight or if we are having a mood disturbance.

Speaking of which…

3. Mood - Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that onsets during the late fall into winter. Symptoms might include depressed emotions, low energy, insomnia or hypersomnia, and difficulties concentrating.

People can also get a minor case of SAD that affects their quality of life, but that is not diagnosable. This is called subclinical or below threshold. 

4. Vitamin D Deficiency. - Warm sunlight is a good source of vitamin D. During the winter months, people often get less than usual. Vitamin D deficiency is already common among adults in the US with an occurance rate of over 40% and it becomes even more common during the winter months.

This can affect the health of our bones, the quality of our sleep, and our immune system and how our bodies fight off everything from colds to COVID.

5. Good Habit Breaks - The winter can be a time we become vulnerable to dropping good habits that we’ve adopted during the warmer months. Maybe we were walking most mornings or biking regularly, but then we stopped because of the cold weather, holiday schedule disruptions, or low energy.

Compounding good health is a continuous long-term endeavor and so we want to maintain good health habits year round and build on them when we can. 

Practical Tips for Staying Healthy during the Winter

Here are a bunch of things you can do to counteract health setbacks that might arise during the winter months.

Get the Light Right

When you wake up in the morning, turn the lights up high and get it nice and bright. Try to keep this around the same time most mornings, even the weekends. 

In the evening, a couple hours before bed, turn the lights lower and get it good and dim. Try to keep this around the same time most nights, even the weekends. 

This will help keep your circadian rhythm tuned, contribute to better sleep, and help stave off negative mood and depressive symptoms that can be associated with winter.

Eye the Weather & Get Some Outdoor Light

There will be beautiful sunny days during the winter.

Keep a close eye out for them and plan your time accordingly. 

Prime sun time is limited due to the shortened days and also the angle of the sun’s path across the sky. 10:30 to 2:30 becomes prime time for getting outside. If you do get out earlier in the morning, that’s fine too.

When you see a window of good weather approaching, prioritize the heck out of it. Cancel or reschedule meetings, play hooky, get shit done the evening before.

Then, get outside and walk, hike, or run like a freaking champion!

Put Your Phone in a Drawer at Night

The mobile device can wreak havoc on our sleep-wake cycle. 

You want to limit usage after 8 or 8:30 PM to avoid concentrated light directly to the brain.

Put your phone in a drawer at night and don’t take it out again until 30 minutes after you wake up in the morning.

This will improve sleep and mindfulness.

In fact, putting the phone in a drawer or turning it off would be my number one habit suggestion for 2023 and not just for the winter. 

It is my hunch that over the coming years, we will find that mobile device addiction, including use at night, is much worse for our mental and physical health than even the most ardent digital minimalists currently claim.

Sleep quality is critical to good health and affects every area of functioning. Your mobile device is like a sleep gremlin. If you stare at it before bedtime, it can affect sleep onset, and if you wake up in the middle of the night and stare at it, it can make it harder to get back to sleep.

Stop Eating Earlier

Finish eating for the day earlier than usual, say 7PM.

If you are already intermittent fasting, close your eating window earlier. So if you usually do a 12-8 eating window, make it 12-7 or 11-7. 

This will give you more time to digest before you go to bed, makes it easier to fall asleep, and will improve your sleep quality overall.

If you are not intermittent fasting and are interested in trying it, here is a post called Getting Started intermittent Fasting.

Get the Right Clothes

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”

An Old Norwegian Saying (I think)

I tried to trace down who said this first and got a few possibilities. I’m going with an old Norwegian saying, because I like that source the best. If you have a definitive source, let me know.

Regardless, if you’re going to walk, run, hike, or bike outdoors during the cold months, go out and get yourself some proper attire. 

Quality hat, gloves, socks, footwear, and coat.

I hit REI, which has excellent merchandise and service. Plus, you can find someone there to assist you right.

Take care of this stuff. Keep it somewhere dedicated to you and put it away securely when the weather warms. 

Treadmills Are Way Underrated

Treadmills get a bad rap. 

Critics say that you don’t get the same workout as you do out on the road or trail or that it’s boring.

It’s true, you get a different workout, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. There’s even some advantages like being able to control pace and hill resistance more precisely.

You can get a great workout on a treadmill. Full stop.

As long as you get a good sweat and feel good afterwards, you’re fine.

As for the boredom aspect - maybe it’s somewhat more mundane, but maybe it’s not so bad either. I listen to great music and podcasts on the treadmill and wind up enjoying it just fine. 

Sometimes I even learn something.

One more thing here - this section is not just about treadmills. It goes for Pelotons and rowing machines as well. 

In general, indoor cardio is underrated, not overrated.

Get More Vitamin D3 

As I discussed above, vitamin D supports our immune system and we don’t get enough of it, especially in the winter.

You can get more vitamin D by eating fish (like salmon, tuna, swordfish, and sardines), eggs, and fortified dairy.

I take a D3 supplement during the winter months. There is mixed evidence whether it helps but it doesn’t hurt.

Don’t Forget the Basics

Last but not least, don’t forget the basics. 

1. Eat high protein, low carbs.

2. Move your body daily.

3. Practice strong sleep hygiene.

If you lean hard on the basics, you’ll be 85% of the way there.

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If you have some tips I might have missed, please leave them in the comments below.

Share this post with people you think might benefit from these winter health tips.