Don’t hate winter just yet
From the winter season which has started to move in on us, to the sudden cold front that swung a hit at us like American retired professional boxer, Mike Tyson, I have only heard complaints from those around me.
“It is too cold, my car is all iced up, I look fat in all these clothes…”
I, for one, love this season and I don’t know if it’s perhaps because I was a winter baby (?) but what if winter is not as bad as it seems?
I know it is not always easy to see the glass half full in every situation, but here are a few points to consider about the winter season that might make it a little bit more enjoyable for you:
- Fruit tastes better; A good cold snap lowers the acidity in oranges and increases sugar content that sweetens the fruit.
- Fewer disease-carrying bugs; A good hard freeze gets rid of a lot of creepy-crawlies. Thriving in warm, moist environments mosquitoes are usually most active from early summer through late fall.
- A break from dehydration from harsh sunlight; prolonged exposure to the sun causes water to evaporate from skin, which is why sunburned skin requires more moisture than unexposed areas. This means less feeling sluggish and tired and a break from premature aging for women. However, cold winds and low temperatures can also eventually dry out skin, so still consume enough water during this time.
- Better recovery from exercise; A new study shows that the therapy method known as cryotherapy, the exposure of the body to low temperatures may be the most effective recovery method for runners suffering from exercise-related damage and pain.
Sources:https://www.myfoxtwincities.com/ and https://www.accuweather.com
Here are some of my own personal favourite things about the season:
- The social benefits; To me there’s nothing as cosy as staying at home with good friends, sipping hot chocolate or sherry with a fire crackling in the fire-place.
- Delicious warming winter meals; chicken noodle soup, curry and rice, and lasagna! (nyum nyum nyum)
- Fashion; if you are somewhat like me and enjoy playing dress up — boots, boots, boots!! — enough said.
- Somehow, to me, the crisp air just feels fresher and easier to breathe.
- And finally, after winter follows a beautiful fresh spring season, which produces brand new flowers gracing the environment.
There will always be different strokes for different folks, but the winter is here for the duration, so the way I see it, we might as well make the best of it.
Put on your slippers this weekend, snuggle up and enjoy the benefits this season has to offer with your loved ones.TB
