Navigating Winter Wellness

Vol. 22

Calling all Office Athletes!!! We’re gathering our community for the Sky:30 fitness challenge. This fitness challenge includes:

• Personalized 1:1 goal setting & workout programming

• Online coaching & accountability sessions

• Wearable Data Analysis to help make your fitness goals efficient, attainable, & fun!

Interested in having your wearable data analyzed, receiving specific insights and training recommendations, and getting better together? Fill out this form!

In This Article, We Will…

1. Explain how winter affects your body

2. Dive into how to track the season’s impact with wearable metrics

3. Suggest supplements you can take to support your goals

Conquer Winter Blues

We are well into the thick of winter, and with it comes various challenges for your health and fitness. Cold weather can affect your immune system, skin, mood, and energy levels, making it crucial to adapt your fitness and wellness routine.

Here are some helpful information and tips for combatting the winter blues…

Winter’s Impact on Your Body

Some of the common ways that winter can affect your health are:

• Increased risk of infections. During winter, people spend more time indoors and in close contact with each other, increasing the chances of spreading viruses and bacteria. Cold weather also narrows blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the skin and mucous membranes, making them more vulnerable to infections.

• Dry and itchy skin. Cold and dry air can suck the moisture from your skin, causing it to crack, flake, and itch. This can lead to skin infections, eczema, and psoriasis. Dry skin can also affect your appearance and self-esteem.

• Mood changes. The lack of sunlight in winter can reduce serotonin production, affecting mood, sleep, and appetite. Also, the cold and dark days can trigger seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that occurs during the fall and winter. 

• Reduced physical activity. Winter can make it harder to stay active, especially if you prefer outdoor activities. The cold weather can discourage you from going outside, and the snow and ice can make it dangerous to exercise. Reduced physical activity can lead to weight gain, muscle loss, joint pain, and lower metabolism.

Using Wearables to Monitor Your Winter Wellness

A wearable is one of the best ways to track your health and fitness during the winter. Here is how the cold months can impact certain metrics and how to improve these metrics: 

• Physical activity

  • Impact: Cold weather dampens motivation for outdoor exercise, leading to reduced physical activity and increased sedentary time.

  • Solution: Combat winter lethargy by monitoring and setting goals for physical activity. If it's too cold to work out outside, engage in at-home or in-the-gym workouts, tracking progress on your wearable for added motivation.

• Heart rate. 

  • Impact: The cold weather's vasoconstriction effect can elevate blood pressure, heart rate, and dehydration risk, posing potential cardiovascular risks.

  • Solution: Track heart rate data to stay informed about potential impacts on cardiovascular health. Stay hydrated and adjust your wellness routine based on the insights provided by your fitness tracker.

• Calories burned. 

  • Impact: Winter's cold can boost your basal metabolic rate (BMR), impacting how many calories you burn. This may lead to a positive energy balance, affecting weight management.

  • Solution: Use your wearables to balance activity levels and calorie intake, preventing unwanted weight gain during winter. Stay mindful of your body's signals and adjust your nutrition accordingly.

• Sleep quality. 

  • Impact: Reduced sunlight can disrupt melatonin production, impacting sleep quality, leading to discomfort, and causing frequent waking.

  • Solution: Keep an eye on your wearable’s insights on sleep patterns. Make adjustments where necessary, like winding down earlier or introducing a nighttime routine, to ensure restful nights during the winter months.

With a fitness wearable, you can use the data to adjust your lifestyle, habits, and goals to optimize your wellness. Want help analyzing this data? Fill out this form today.

Smart Supplementation Strategies

Some of the supplements that can help you stay healthy and fit in winter are:

• Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus and also supports your immune system, mood, and brain. Your body makes vitamin D from sunlight, but you may not get enough exposure during winter. So, taking a vitamin D supplement can help you maintain optimal levels and prevent deficiency. 

  • Recommended daily intake: 600 IU (15 mcg) for adults up to age 70 and 800 IU (20 mcg) for adults over 70.

• Vitamin C. Vitamin C protects your cells from free radical damage, helps your body produce collagen, and boosts your immune system. You can get vitamin C from fruits and vegetables, such as citrus fruits, berries, peppers, and broccoli, but taking a supplement can ensure you get enough. 

  • Recommended daily intake: 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women.

• Zinc. Zinc plays a role in many biological processes, such as DNA synthesis, wound healing, and immune function. It also helps your body fight off viruses and bacteria and may reduce the duration and severity of colds. Zinc comes from animal products, like meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy, as well as plant sources, such as beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, but taking a supplement boosts your intake. 

  • Recommended daily intake: 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women.

• Probiotics. Probiotics benefit your digestive and immune systems and help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in your gut. You can get probiotics from fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi, but taking a supplement can provide you with more variety and potency.

  • Recommended daily intake: depends on the strain and the health condition, but generally, you should aim for at least 10 billion colony-forming units (CFU).

Winter can be a challenging time for your health and fitness, but with some data tracking and supplementation, you can stay on top of your wellness goals. Remember to consult your doctor before taking any supplements and follow the label's dosage and safety instructions.

If you’re interested in having your wearable data analyzed by us, receiving specific insights and training recommendations, and getting better together, fill out this form and train with us!

- JT & Phil

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