The cold weather is upon us, and quite unexpectedly at that. January is generally not a time that we have to deal with rain and cold! You need a good keep-warm plan if you are to keep colds, flu and respiratory diseases at bay and at the same time keep your body nourished and healthy. Do you have a plan?
Here is what you need;
Heart healthy soups
When environmental temperatures drop, body metabolism increases to produce heat to warm you up. This means food is digested much faster than you would on a hot day. This leaves you famished and in need of constant feeding.
Instead of bringing on unhealthy foods-that only pile up calories-how about having a steaming bowl of delicious soup? A bowl of soup can be a healthy rich whole meal to keep you warm and satisfied throughout the day.
A creamy mashed potato soup made with onions and tomatoes and garnished with cheese is a good place to start. You can also make delicious vegetable soups if you prefer the healthier side of things. Another choice is bone broth, or my favorite-the African peanut stew. These soups are great with some accompaniment such as bread, sweet potatoes, butternut and chapatti among others. Butternut makes very good soups on its own too.
High quality lip-balm
Your lips will get dry and crack if you do not keep them moisturized this cold season. And that’s not a good sight. Too keep your lips luscious go for well hydrated lip-balms. Marie Claire, vogue and Elle magazines have good recommendations on the same.
Bio-Oil
The cold weather tends to dry skin quite a bit and your skin will be better off if you use a more hardworking moisturizer like bio-oil. With its powerful ingredients, Bio-oil is fashioned to protect against the elements by providing superior hydration and creating a stronger barrier on the skin to actually lock in moisture better.
Bio Oil is not just for the cold weather though. It is also an excellent product even for the hotter months since it is non greasy. It is also effective for use to minimize scars, prevent stretch marks, sort uneven skin tone, and correct aging skin. Bio-oil contains Purcellin – an ingredient that makes the oil light and easy to get absorbed into the skin.
It is safe and actually recommended for pregnant women to prevent stretch marks. Please note that for this to work, one would need to start using it early before the skin stretches to a point of breaking. It is advisable to start as early as during the last part of the last semester and increase usage as from the second semester. Apply on stretch mark prone areas like thighs, boobs, and especially around the tummy.
As for the face, massage bio oil in circular motions in the morning and before you go to bed. Be patient and consistent and you will see the difference. A weakness that many of us have is to expect results at blazing speed and then get disappointed.
Outfits
Ditch the hot weather clothes and get some warm clothes already! It’s rainy and muddy outside, so trench-coats, boots and umbrellas will come in handy. You should also shop for pull-neck tops, scarfs and marvins to shield the chest, neck and your head from cold. Do not forget gloves if you are extremely cold places. Generally clothes made from cotton and wool retain heat keeping the body warm.
Take warm baths
A warm bath is good to maintain your body temperature. It also relaxes muscles and warms you up quickly if you have been out in the cold.
Hot water bottles, heaters and electric blankets are also cold weather arsenals you can use to keep yourself warm indoors. Whatever you do remember you are safeguarding body against cold related complications and keeping yourself warm, healthy and happy.
