With winter in its full glory this time around across Northern India, the chilly season has brought along viral infections, fever, cold cough with lesser sunlight and people are reeling under winter blues. Right from flu shots to a hot cup of tea, soups to including specialty foods such as dry fruits, green vegetables and herbs like ashwagandha, turmeric and more that can boost immunity, everything is being counted upon. A representative from Teamonk Global, a company specialising in health speciality teas, shares a few tips to keep health and wellness in check in the cold weather.
1. Maintaining hygiene to stay healthy and safe
Staying healthy during colder months is key to ensure you can enjoy all the activities the season brings along. Since we are going through extraordinary times owing to the pandemic, it is imperative that we continue to follow the basic hygiene of washing our hands as per the prescribed guidelines of WHO and also use hand sanitizer whenever possible. Masks are a must, like your shoes, while stepping out or meeting people within the premises. Dry winter air also weakens natural mucus barriers in the nose, throat, mouth, and lungs, making us susceptible to catching the virus. It is a good idea to get a flu jab if you have senior citizens in the family or ones with serious health hazards to keep safe. Do consult your health advisor or doctor for the same.
2. Stay active
While shorter days and colder weather may lead us to move or exercise less, it is always a good idea to take-up some indoor activities or even moderate levels of exercise. One can consider activities like climbing stairs, yoga, free hand exercises or breathing exercises that lead to a healthy active lifestyle to improve blood circulation, improve quality of sleep and make one feel active for a better performance physically and mentally. Keep yourself well hydrated at all times.
3. Make informed nutritious choices
Plan your diet with plenty of seasonal vegetables, green smoothies, soups, fruits, proteins, whole grains, cereals, winter foods like dry fruits, savories like peanut chikkis, pinnis, atta ladoos, herbs such as ashwagandha, mulethi, tulsi, ginger in your food, tea and even application on the skin, as they help to keep the body warm and prevent inflammation. Consider treats that will satisfy cravings like dry fruit ladoos, a bowl of muesli, fermented foods like dosas, dhokla, shorbas with an eye on portion size. Think about healthier alternatives to traditional comfort foods.
4. Enjoy unpteen cups or healthy tea and coffee with your loved ones
Nothing can be better than having a healthy speciality tea with your friends and family. So get out of your bed, cuddle up on your couch and have ‘Chai pe charcha’ with your loved ones to beat this winter. We all have our favourites but it’s absolutely no harm to try new things in life to break its monotony. There is a diverse range of teas that are offered and easily available in-store and online. So, try new types of healthy and tasty teas that include- oolong, white and green teas with Triphala, Ashwagandha, Kadha from new age tea brands such as Teamonk.
Mr. Nalin Sood, CEO & Co-Founder, Teamonk