Living in Harmony With Nature: Winter

Acupuncture is a form of medicine based on the laws of nature. Each year I’m in practice, I’m continually inspired by how small incremental changes that align us with nature can go along way in supporting our health. Applying the laws of nature can vary by context and circumstance. Living in New York aligning with nature may look different than it would in San Diego, CA. How we choose to live in harmony with nature may be influenced by one’s career, life stage, hobbies, interests and health goals.

Recently, as is often the case around seasonal changes, I’ve had a number of conversations about what balance and wellness look like in Winter versus Summer and how tweaking our lifestyle for the season can support health.

Winter is a time of garnering reserves.

It’s a time to stock up on rest and respite. This time of year, it’s perfectly normal for our bodies to require a bit more rest and for movement activities to decrease. In American culture, often the very opposite happens in the dark days of Winter. As we kick off a new year: In the business sector corporations release new budgets and new projects go into full swing, demanding more time. In education, a new semester with new requirements build up in the peak of Winter. In personal lives, many challenge themselves with a post-New Year New Me fitness routine that creates huge demand on the body.

Three areas where we can make moderate lifestyle changes to support health in Winter:

Rest

Patients will sometimes express concern about requiring more sleep this time of year. If your need for sleep has increased but you’re still waking rested, this is somewhat normal. Our bodies natural rhythms sync up with the sun’s and thus fewer hours of daylight prompts the need for more sleep. However, if your need for sleep has increased and you’re exhausted all day long, this might be an indication of something else.

Diet and Digestion

I’ve had a few patients tell me they get gassy and bloated after eating “healthy” salads. This is not uncommon this time of year. Though raw food has some great health benefits, it’s also very cooling for the body. A raw food diet might be an excellent choice in regions with a warmer climate, but in the Northeast raw food consumption should be limited to warmer seasons.

From a Chinese Medicine perspective, we use the same mechanism to keep the body warm as we do to digest food. Eating raw food in Winter is a double whammy on the body. Not only is it cooling, but the additional Qi needed to digest raw food—versus cooked food—takes energy that should be used to keep us warm in colder months. Better choices include soups, curries, greens sautéed with healthy fats, clean meats, and baked sweet potatoes. Winter is a great time to experiment with your crockpot. If salad is a must, warm it up with some warming spices like ginger or cracked pepper and always consume salad with some fat. We need the fat to break down the raw greens.

Movement

Ideally, active fitness should happen during sunlight hours. This time of year, the sun is low in the sky and daylight hours have decreased. Once the sun is down, it’s better to focus on restorative activities, like a leisurely walk, stretching or restorative yoga.

If you’ve got more specific questions about how to stay healthy in the Winter, don’t hesitate to reach out.

This post was originally published on February 12, 2016 and has been updated for your benefit.