Enjoy Activities and Regular Exercise
Try to keep moving; encouraging the circulatory system is key to staying healthy in winter. Light excesses, such as walking, or joining a group class is a great way to stay fit, healthy and warm.
Dance, walk, or just have a good stretch every hour to keep your body moving regularly.
Banish Winter Blues
It’s no surprise that we feel sluggish, tired or a bit down in the winter months. When the weather is miserable, it can affect our mood too!
As the nights draw in and the weather outside makes its unsafe for the elderly or vulnerable to venture out for days or weeks at a time, keeping the mind active is even more important, to banish the winter blues. Stay connected with friends and family, as it’s always good to have a natter – setting up video calls using FaceTime via a
smart device is a great investment to help keep in touch..
Whether it’s you, or someone you know, always reach out to talk to someone once a day. Do something you enjoy every day too, whatever your hobby or interest – enjoy a good book or film - here are some ideas to stay positive.
Keep Warm, Keep Well
From the age of 55 we lose around 1% of muscle mass every year, which has a detrimental effect on our ability to regulate our body temperature, as well as our heart and blood circulation. Meaning hands and feet are especially vulnerable to the cold, making it harder to keep warm in the winter months.
Keeping your home warm is essential to avoid sitting in a cold environment for long periods of time, as this will raise the blood pressure as the body tries to keep warm.
The ideal room temperature should be about 21 degrees in your living room and about 18 degrees in your bedroom. A hot-water bottle or electric blanket will also help to keep chills at bay.
If you’re going for a walk wrap up with layers to trap warm air in – wear gloves, a hat and a chunky scarf is a clever way to warm the air you are breathing in when outdoors. However, if you if you have a heart or respiratory problem, always stay indoors during very cold weather. Keep comfy blankets nearby to keep legs protected from drafts at home too.