Your favorite Florida girl here, sharing my best tips for surviving a ‘winter’ in Texas. Now I’ll start by admitting that no, Dallas’s winter is nothing like a Chicago blizzard. However, coming from a ‘summer all year’ environment of Orlando, Florida, the brisk 30 degrees of a Dallas winter day definitely counts! My first winter in Dallas was full of dehydrated skin and hair, cold toes and sluggish mornings. Not this year, my friend. This year I am embracing this beautiful winter weather for all it’s worth.
Today I’m sharing my top 3 tips for winter wellness with you. Here’s how I stay healthy and motivated thru the short, cold, germy days this season.
3 TIPS FOR WINTER WELLNESS
1. Hydration. It’s easy to dismiss Winter as a season where hydration isn’t as important. Warm clothing helps conserve body heat, but it also makes our bodies work harder and sweat. In cold weather, we lose more fluids through respiratory water loss than on warm days. When you can see your breath in the cold air, that’s literally water vapor that your body is losing. The colder the temperature and the more intense the exercise, the more vapor you lose when you breathe. Mind blown?
I’m that girl with three different cups at her desk. Water, tea, coffee… I drink all the things all day long. Especially the warm things. I love a Sleepy Time tea before bed or Energy tea in the morning. I also drink lots of coconut water to hydrate with added electrolytes (and none of the additives you may find in energy drinks).
For me, hydration doesn’t stop at beverages. My skin and hair dry out in the winter too. I keep my skin hydrated with exfoliation and a good moisturizer with vitamin E and aloe vera.
Lately I’ve been obsessed with Not Your Mother’s hair products too. Their Naturals line is right up my alley, made with 98% naturally derived ingredients and formulated without sulfates, gluten, parabens, dyes, & phthalates. I love the Sea Minerals shampoo and conditioner for weightless hydration with electrolyte minerals. It’s made with blue sea kale and pure coconut water and is my go-to all winter long. You can find their products at Whole Foods!
2. Exercise. Losing your motivation to wake up at 5:30am on a dark, cold, winter morning isn’t unusual. But exercise during the winter months is even more important! Endorphins help beat the winter blues, it helps you sleep better and can be a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors while producing some body heat to stay warm.
My favorite way to stay motivated is by creating accountability! I set a sweat date and coffee with a girlfriend before work and know that I won’t want to let her down by sleeping in.
I also find that morning workouts are a lot easier to stick to. It’s a bummer when I plan to attend a class after work and get pulled into a big project that keeps me in the office late. There’s no excuses for an early morning!
3. Sleep. These short day are basically pleading with me to get a full 8 hours every night (or more). Because our days are shorter and we lose sunlight earlier, our bodies are ready for sleep earlier too. Where our internal clock becomes confused is with the temperature difference!
We naturally like a dark, cool, quiet place for sleep and bright, warm, loud place for being awake. Go for a walk outdoors during the day to keep your body energized. Try not to overheat your home at night to prepare for a good night’s rest.
I also find it helpful to keep from scrolling in bed! Using devices like cell phones, iPads and watching TV increase blue light in your bedroom, altering you mind to stay awake. Blue light is linked to the morning sunlight, whereas it becomes more orange throughout the day leading to the night. Replace your nightly scroll with a good book to ensure a good night’s rest!
I hope these winter wellness tips are helpful for you this chilly season! Stay warm and enjoy the season, friends.
This post has been sponsored by Not Your Mothers. All thoughts and opinions are my own. To view my full disclosure policy, click here.
