As the grey days of winter start to approach for the Southern Hemisphere, and the North emerges from hibernation, it's a great time to remember what the seasons mean, not only for nature, but for people too.
As the days grow shorter so do tempers.
Grey, dark and cold days replace sunshine and warmth with wind and rain.
People naturally move more indoors and it seems to kids that the world is less friendly.
The old traditions of winter are worth celebrating.
Warm soups, fireside chats, and rather than run the whole house like it's a baking oven for bread, to celebrate special rooms where warmth and love abound.
Heaters dry the air, dehydrate people and when they next step outside, that dehydration draws damp air into the lungs, chilling bronchials, contracting lung cells, causing illness.
So, instead of pretending that life is one long summer, and bemoaning winter and all it brings try these few little tricks I've learned from living in Canada at Minus 30, New York in 2 meters of Snow and in Nepal with wind chill below 60 degrees.
1.
Cold weather is to be appreciated as much as warm.
The only difference between good and bad weather is clothing.
2.
Always wear a hat in winter.
For men that can simply be a baseball cap if you are shy, or a great beanie from a trendy shop.
For women, there are infinite great winter knitted hats that are inexpensive and fun to mix and match.
3.
Remember illness in winter is hugely about dehydration.
Don't drink cold water but instead drink either hot water (much nicer than tea) or room temperature.
Drying out ages you, decreases sexual potency, causes fatigue and makes you dull in the head...
In winter people think there's no need to drink water because the air is cold...
Wrong, in fact, quite the opposite.
4.
Pay extreme attention to warmth in the following areas: Kidneys - Lower to middle back - wear a spenser, vest, even a kidney warmer.
Do not wear bluson jackets that only cover the middle part of your back.
Feet - Cold feet leads to poor circulation in the whole of your body.
Wear winder shoes with thicker soles, warmer socks, and never let your socks or feet get damp.
In fact, for office people I always recommend leaving office shoes at work and wearing more hardy, warmer boots to work.
Head - 50% of your body heat is lost through the crown of your head.
Cover it at all times.
Never leave home with wet hair it's a sure vacuum to immune health and internal fire.
Exercise - Be aware that huffing and puffing cold air into your lungs is going to dry out you body, throat and chest.
If necessary wear face masks, but, if it's really cold, get an indoor bike.
A good one is probably the best health investment you can make (not a crappy one).
Exercise in the morning to build up body metabolism.
Sleep - You need more sleep in winter.
Allow yourself to either extend your night sleep or cut yourself some space for cat naps during the day.
I do, I take two 15 minute cat naps everyday - longer in winter.
Alcohol - steer away from beer and cold drinks to Wine (red is best)...
spirits are fun too but be careful, they bite - sake is my favorite winter nip.
Food - Soup, soup, soup and soup.
Beware of excess salt.
Salt is a winter additive that can make summer a living hell.
Red Meat, curries and veggies are brilliant.
Avoid taking any form of calories in liguid...
(sugar in tea etc).
Hands - I wear gloves in winter.
Of course, if I'd done that when I was 20 I wouldn't have this painful arthritis in my finger joins and this blog post would be far less painful to type.
Conservative - Don't let winter frustrate or depress you into making wild or radical reactive choices.
Just delay critical decisions until the sun comes out again in September.
Bed and Sleep - Instead of big bulky Doonas and blankets, wear warm PJ's.
You can be much more comfy in a woolly pair of Pajamas than trying to get the bedding right between you and your better half...
! Wind - It's a well known Chinese fact that cold wind, enters the body like a dark spirit and can wreak havoc on otherwise healthy people.
Keep children and babies out of cold winds, and while you're at it, you too.
Overeating - There's a temptation in winter to overeat.
Place your two hands together and then cup them face up.
Make sure the little fingers overlap and the joint between your two hands is closed down the middle.
Bring each palm to a 45degree angle so your hands are now cupped.
This, level bowl is the healthiest size of your average total meal.
Neck and ears - I wear scarves because everywhere I've lived where temperatures are low, scarves are fashion and friendly.
In Aussie people are less likely to wear a scarf but they're great.