In cold winter weather it’s essential to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, full of vitamins to help ward off colds and flu. “Juicing” the fruit and vegetables makes a pleasant, palatable alternative, ensuring a high intake of protective vitamins. Give your immune system an extra boost, by taking Echinacea in tincture form diluted in water, or a daily capsule.
After the excesses of the recent Festive Season give yourself a break by giving up alcohol for the month. Not only will your liver benefit, but the whole of you will perk up, physically and psychologically. And don’t forget – alcohol is fattening – so going without will help get you back into shape! Disorders of the eyes, skin, joints, heart, hair, digestion and some cancers, are just a few of the health problems that are linked with alcohol abuse. Discover the positive cleansing effect that drinking 8 glasses of water a day has on your body.
And talking of your body now is the time to think about your skin, which in winter time is exposed to wind, cold, UV radiation and the effects of central heating. The result is skin dehydration with a loss of softness and flexibility. So, it’s time to replenish and pamper! Massage your body daily with a generous helping of moisturising skin cream, and exfoliate once a week with a body salt scrub to remove dead skin cells. Alternatively, make your own, with a handful of Sea Salt, plus a little Kemp from the Chemist.
With Spring around the corner now is the time to put a spring in your step, to keep active and to get back into shape. Even though it is cold outside, ensure you take a brisk half-hour walk, 3 times a week. Being active makes your body and complexion glow. So take advantage of any opportunity, any time to simply skip, play tennis, swim, cycle, garden or take the dog for a walk. And finally time to stretch!
Being around younger people helps us stay young at heart, and taking a broader well-informed overview of life creates a healthier mental attitude. Keep an open mind and don’t get set in your ways. Many young people are prepared to respect their seniors, so long as we are not bigoted, opinionated and dismissive of them! A youthful outlook can help us understand their aspirations and frustrations, and being empathetic goes along way in helping youngsters sort out their problems – although we don’t necessarily have to agree with them!