by Lucy | Dec 14, 2016 | Well Balanced Wisdom
It’s 2pm and you’re starting to feel exhausted. Your brain is a little slow and you are day dreaming about a nap. There’s a good chance that you are on a sugar crash from all those holiday treats or maybe it’s just been a really long day. You could reach for another sugary pick me up from the break room OR you could try some peppermint tea instead! A study found peppermint tea improves brain function and alertness – a boost we could all use when the afternoon slump has us feeling foggy.
This study took 180 participants and randomly allocated them to receive a drink of peppermint tea, chamomile tea or hot water. Analysis of the results showed that peppermint tea helped improve long-term memory, working memory and alertness compared to both chamomile and hot water. Chamomile tea significantly slowed memory and attention speed compared to both peppermint and hot water.”
From this study, we also see that chamomile tea lives up to its reputation of being a sleepy time tea. Have a mug of it before bed to slow down and relax.
Cheers!
by Lucy | Dec 7, 2016 | Well Balanced Wisdom
Cough, hack, sneeze! I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hearing this everywhere! From work to daycare to friends and family… everyone is coming down with something. It has me thinking about these 3 things we all could be doing to stay well this winter.
Get your Vitamin D level checked. Our vitamin D levels are lowest in the winter months which means we may be missing out on some helpful immune benefits. One research study reported that adults who have low vitamin D levels are more likely to have had a recent cough, cold or upper respiratory infection. There is still a lot of research to be done about vitamin D but we do know that the active form of vitamin D can tame inflammation and boost production of microbe-fighting proteins in your body.
Dietary sources of vitamin D include salmon, tuna, fortified milk or juice, liver, cheese and egg yolks. It is not likely that you will be able to meet your needs through diet alone and the level of vitamin D supplementation you need will depend on your blood level. So talk to your doctor today if you think your vitamin D levels are low. In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt to be taking a multivitamin that includes some vitamin D.
Stay hydrated. If you are anything like me, a glass of cold water doesn’t sound great this time of year. That’s trouble considering we still need to stay hydrated in the winter months. The good news is we can choose other ways to fill our bodies with the fluids we need. My favorite options? Tea and soup! Now doesn’t Candy Cane Green Tea sound delightful? Or what about unwinding with a little a cup of honey lavender stress relief tea?? And I can’t tell you how excited I am about this new local product for making soups. Thank you, Kate Elia, for transforming high quality, under-appreciated local scraps into a heavenly tasting kitchen staple that I can’t wait to get my hands on for winter cooking.
Move more. The shorter, colder and sometimes gloomy days of winter can encourage us to stay inside at our desk, on the couch or snuggled in bed longer. It can be hard to be as active as we are in the warmer seasons. It’s worth the effort though. Exercise makes you feel healthier and more energetic, it can ward off depression and it keeps our waist line slim. I love to find creative ways to move more in the winter. After sitting for a bit, I will get up and shake my sillies out (can you tell I have a 3 year old?) or I might run to my car instead of walk. Sometimes I do push ups while letting the kids play in the bath tub or do squats while I brush my teeth. These may seem small and insignificant but every lit bit of movement adds up. Of course, it’s also great to do more stretching, walking or a weight-lifting, too.
Food for thought:
What are you doing to stay well this winter?
Tell us:
What is your favorite winter wellness tip?
Looking for an immunity boost in your diet and lifestyle? We can help!
