1. Perhaps the most important is EXERCISE. During the winter it is a temptation not to go out more than is necessary, because it is grey and cold, or wet and not very inviting. Make sure you have some comfortable warm walking shoes, and then try to walk one mile or two if you can each day. Walk briskly to the point of being almost out of breath. Your fitness will soon build up. The best time to get exercise is in the early morning. This is because your white blood count will be raised and then will be working hard for the rest of the day to resist the germs you meet all round you. Do not go jogging in cold frosty air, as the cold air getting into your lungs can actually lower your resistance. A scarf round your mouth is useful when it is very cold.
2. DIET is important too. Sugars are the chief danger to our health in the winter, but at other times too. When we eat natural foods, 14 bacteria are destroyed by the white blood cells every 30 minutes. When we have 6 teaspoons of sugar at one time, (about 1 oz of sugar), only 10 bacteria are destroyed in the same time. If we have twelve spoons of sugar 5.5 are affected, and 18 spoons only allows the WBC to get rid of 2. We put sugar in drinks, but there is hidden sugar too, that we do not immediately think about. Sweets, chocolate, biscuits. jam, marmalade, cakes, frosted cereals, fruit pies, tinned fruit in syrup, icecreams, puddings and desserts. Then think of the foods we have for special occasions - many are sweet treats or cakes or drinks. Even fruit juices have concentrated sugars in comparison with fresh fruit. This is why we seem to get more colds and health problems after special occasions. But also during the winter we eat more foods like this because they are comforting and warming on miserable days. We can help ourselves keep well by cutting out sugary foods.
3. BATHS. A hot bath, followed by a rub down all over with a cold wet loofah or equivalent is a valuable tonic to the immune system. Centres teaching wellness use this technique to increase resistance, but as an additional benefit it helps in overcoming the craving for tobacco too. Another way is to begin with a warm shower and finish with a few seconds of cool water, going to cold after a few mornings as you get used to the idea. It is better than caffeine for a waking up the system and has only beneficial after effects!
4. CLOTHES How we dress in winter often determines how good our resistance is. Wearing a hat is a good practice when out in cool weather, for both men and women. We lose much of our body heat through our heads. This is why they used to wear night caps in days gone by when houses were draughty and unheated. A scarf round your neck is helpful in avoiding chills. But for women legs are the most difficult area to keep warm. One doctor suggested that leggings could be worn under a skirt when out, but making sure they are colour co- ordinated. If the body system stays evenly warm with no chilly areas there is greater resistance to infections.
5. VENTILATION. In the winter we stay indoors much of the time, and at night we breathe the same air from when we come in, to when we open the door again. It is advisable to have one of the bedroom windows open all through the night even in winter. In the coldest or windiest weather maybe only a crack, but it still allows some circulation of fresh new air for breathing. Be careful, however, not to sleep in a current of cold air on the side of your head or neck.
Try these, and you will find that you will have greater resistance to the winter ailments and epidemics. |
