Embrace the Cold this Winter and Let It Work FOR You!
Hello Women,
It’s December!! How did that happen? The year has flown by, or so it seems! Pandemic time has a weird way of being different to regular time, somehow. The days fly by in a way that I have never experienced before. I’m sure I’m not the only now who feels this way. So, before this day gets away from us...let’s take a short Sacred Pause to be in the present moment. Get comfortable, maybe uncross the legs if they are crossed and place both feet onto the earth. Lift the heart just a little and allow the shoulders to roll back and down and take a few deeper breaths. Now..let’s talk about how the cold impacts our health and how we can embrace it!
I’m sure most people don’t put winter and it’s cold, often bone chilling temperatures (where I live), at the top of their list of seasonal favourites. Usually summer takes all the glory! But have you ever thought about the benefits of the cold weather and how to harness them to support your body, mind and spirit?
In the past few years I have come to embrace winter more and more. For many years I saw it as an inconvenience at best, and at it’s worst, a season that actually brought life to a bit of a halt. This limiting believe about the six months of cold weather, which we experience here in Western Canada, did not serve my mental or physical health. So a few years ago, I began to change that belief and seek out information that promoted winter as the wonder it can be. Now, don’t get me wrong, masses of never ending snow to shovel and temperatures that freeze ones eyelids, don’t always make me sing with delight. But changing my mindset around these months has brought me more peace during these darker, colder months and it’s actually benefited my health.
Here’s some ways that I have found to appreciate the cold and let it work FOR me in a healthy way.
Cold weather boosts my creativity. After a brisk walk in the snow, feeling the cold on my face and my blood pumping, I find that my brain feels more focused and I get a boost of creativity. Research shows that people are less inclined to tackle cognitive problems in the hot summer months, as warm summer temperatures make for more use of glucose, which is needed for mental process. So these cold months are ideal for creating new and wonderful things!
Cold weather reduces inflammation in the body. Last winter I started working with the Wim Hof method and it really does help with any problems related to inflammation. The cold air, or water, acts like a natural ice pack and helps with sore muscles. I do snow meditations by the river, or sometimes in my backyard and I take a cold shower every day. Check out the work of Wim Hof. I think you will be surprised and amazed of how powerful the cold can be!
Cold weather allows for better sleep. When the temperature outside is colder and a thick comforter or duvet is needed to snuggle up and stay warm in bed, the weight of the covering naturally induced undisturbed and higher quality sleep. In the summer time, the lighter weight of a thin duvet, blanket or sheet does not induce this deeper quality of sleep. Also, the darker evenings and mornings are naturally more conducive to longer, more restful sleep.
Cold weather fights infection. Obviously winter brings flu season, so let’s not go there in this discussion! But this aside, cold temperatures actually prime our immune systems to kick into gear and fight infection more effectively. Research has shown that the human immune system can be activated when exposed to cold and this enhances the ability to fight infection. Again, Wim Hof has lots of good information about this.
Cold weather makes me want to exercise more. This is mainly because during the hotter months of the year, it just feels less comfortable to do high impact activities and exercise. In the summer I love to swim in cold water, but other more strenuous exercise is difficult in the heat. In winter time I enjoy walking, hiking, skiing, skating and even indoor yoga and workouts are better without intense heat.
Now of course there are some downsides to cold temperatures. Muscles can become tense when standing for longer periods of time or when driving in colder vehicles and on roads that require much more concentration due to snow and ice. Usually this tension lands in the shoulders and upper back. So keeping tabs on this area during the colder months is a good idea. Yoga and self massage are great practices to keep this area moving and tension free. You can check out my Yoga for Tight Shoulders video on the home page of this website or on my YouTube channel (search Sacred North Yoga on YouTube) for a soothing practice to keep shoulders happy during the winter months.
So embrace the cold this winter and let it work for you. You might be amazed!
Until next time....