5 Tips For Staying Healthy This Winter
During the colder months, you might be tempted to curl up on the couch and watch some Netflix. While it’s good to relax and have some down time, it’s also important to stay active and maintain healthy practices during winter. Here are 5 health tips for staying safe and active this winter.
Schedule regular visits with your primary care physician
Maintaining your regular checkups with your PCP helps ensure you’re on the right track for receiving preventive care services such as cancer screenings and vaccinations. It’s a good time for patients to address any health concerns they have. People are more likely to get sick in the winter, so it’s important to stay ahead of anything that might affect your well-being.
Winter is also a popular time for last-minute appointments which means that most people do not plan ahead and will only schedule their doctor’s visits after they start showing symptoms of an illness. Doctor’s visits and waits are often longer this time of year which means that it may be harder to see your physician for treatment rather than preventive care.
Drink plenty of water
Despite the brisk temperatures, dehydration in winter is still a real thing. Keeping a bottle in sight to remind yourself to drink water throughout the day is an excellent way to stay hydrated during this time. It’s also good to remember that soups and other drinks also count towards your daily fluid intake too.
Get some Vitamin D
We tend to get less sunlight on our skin in winter, which can lead to less production of vitamin D – crucial for bone health and general health. But remember it’s still possible to get sunburned in winter! For an extra source of vitamin D, get moving outdoors. This is also a great mood boost when you’ve been cooped up inside all day. Daily vitamins are also a good option if sunlight is sparse where you live.
Stay home if you’re sick
We understand that not everyone has the luxury of working from home or having a flexible enough work schedule to accommodate when you’re feeling under the weather. However, it is important to actually use your sick days when you need them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that promoting safe and healthy work practices boosts profitability and productivity among employers of all sizes. According to the Harvard Business Review, more employees are working when they are sick, costing employers about $150 billion to $250 billion or 60 percent of the total cost of worker illness. Additionally, chronic diseases, a rapidly-aging workforce and factors like stress, fatigue and depression all affect employers’ revenue.
Stay up to date on your vaccinations
Fall and winter are almost synonymous with flu season. Like with COVID, the flu can be caught multiple times, sometimes within the same season. That’s why vaccinations like the flu vaccine are important so that you receive the best chances at staying immune against variations of the illness. Because some of the symptoms of flu viruses and COVID-19 are similar, it may be hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. Use this guide to read up on the comparisons between the flu and COVID-19.
To book a scan, visit us at Medmo.com. Medmo helps people schedule radiology imaging tests – such as MRI, CT scans, PET, and more – at nearby accredited centers and identify the payment solution that works best for them.
