8 Winter Steps for Healthy Living

Hi, this has been on my mind for sometime now, and I wanted to ask you
all a few questions. I have read an article at 8 Winter Steps for
Healthy Living in this site http://medical-health-care-information.com
which says WebMD talked to health experts in fields like fitness,
stress, vision, oral health, and more. We asked them this: If you could
suggest one simple change this season to boost personal health, what
would it be? Here are their top tips.

1. Go Sweet on Your Diet
A medium-sized sweet potato has about 100 calories and 4 grams of
fiber, along with vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. And it's loaded
with beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant.
Sweet potatoes are super simple to fix, too. Wash the potato well, poke
it with a fork so it cooks better, wrap it in wax paper, and microwave
for about six minutes. Delicious!

2. Take Inventory -- Reduce Stress Long-Term
To improve your stress level, focus on being a "Total Person." That
phrase is an acronym for:
Time Out To Assess Lifestyle -- focusing on Physical health, Emotional
health, Recreational status, Spiritual and social health, and
Organizational and Nutritional health.

3. Venture Out to Work Out
Break up your indoor workout with outdoor activity. Depending on your
location, try snowshoeing, trail walking, or, if you're in warmer
climes, hill walking on a golf course or in a park with rain gear.
Besides the workout benefit, the outdoors offers you much needed light
exposure, giving you not just a workout but a mood boost.

4. On Guard! For Your Teeth
Winter sports may nudge you out of hibernation, but they carry a real
risk of tooth trauma if you take a spill when skiing, skating, or
boarding.
Consider a sport guard -- a device that looks like a bleaching tray but
is thick rubber. Put it over your upper teeth, and there is less risk
of breakage -- or big dental bills.

5. Winterize Those Eyes
There's no winter vacation from eye protection. Wear ski goggles when
skiing and sunglasses when outdoors to protect your eyes from UV rays.
Look for eyewear that blocks 100% UVA and UVB. If you're unsure about
whether your glasses block the rays sufficiently, take them to your eye
doctor, who can check their UV protection level.

6. Assess Your Heart Health
Winter's the season of love -- what with all the holidays and
Valentine's Day -- so get serious with yourself and assess your heart
health. Ask your doctor to measure your personal health numbers and
tell you the results: blood pressure, height, weight, waist
circumference, blood cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose.
7. Alcohol: Think of Your Heart
Winter's a time for heartier meals, such as stews, and red wine is a
perfect accompaniment (unless you are pregnant or should not drink for
health or other reasons). Red wine is a concentrated source of
antioxidants shown to help heart health.
If you're invited to many winter parties, pace your drinking of red
wine or other alcoholic beverages by having a seltzer or sparkling
water in between each. You'll stay sober and cut your alcohol intake at
the same time.

8. Sleep: Stay Cool
Resist the urge to crank up the thermostat to tropical levels during a
chilly winter's eve. To ensure good sleep, keep your bedroom
temperature at 65 degrees or 70 degrees Fahrenheit. And don't overload
the blankets. Lower temperatures are more conductive to good-quality
sleep.
These eight strategies may have you re-thinking winter as the season of
stagnation. Try one tip or plunge into all eight. It'll be spring
before you know it!

While it must be true, I wonder what you have to say about it. Do let
me know! Regards, Payal