STaying warm this winter
Keeping your body warm is important for many things beyond just comfort during the winter; supporting the immune system, promoting good digestion and maintaining a healthy blood pressure and circulation of blood around your body.
‘Cold’ in the body is attributed to a variety of illnesses and conditions like the flu, asthma, pneumonia , period pain and digestive discomfort and there is even research to suggest that being too cold can negatively impact our mental health and productivity.
Below are my 5 warming practices to keep you toasty this winter:
Invest in and wear a haramaki daily
Perhaps the most important part of the body to make sure stays warm this winter is your kidneys. According to traditional Chinese medicine philosophies this area is the most vitally important energy centre in the body. In japan it is also seen as being a very important area to protect, they call it the hara, and created a special piece of clothing especially for it, called the haramaki . It is effectively a scarf for your tummy! Keeping the hara warm is thought to keep the whole body warm and protect immunity and energy in turn but if you expose your hara (midriff) to the cold- the energy that is held in this part of your body will drain your whole system. As someone who started wearing a haramaki about 6 months ago I can safely say i will never take mine off as it promotes heat in the body far more effectively than anything else and feels like you are being hugged all day long.
I bought mine from - https://www.nukunuku.co.uk/
2. Wear a hat and scarf when you go outside
Your grandmother was right when she told you to wear a hat and scarf to stop you getting sick. Chinese medicine views imbalances in nature reflected in our own bodies. These imbalances could mean an excess of wind, cold, heat etc. During the winter months we need to be more worried about imbalances of ‘cold’ and ‘wind’ which can both externally evade the body causing damage. ‘Wind’ targets the top of your body; just like how the tops of trees are most affected by wind, the top of you is most affected by wind too when you are walking about in the cold wind outside and this is why your grandma told you to protect these areas with a hat and scarf! If you don’t protect them wind can damage your immune system increasing chances of you getting sick, particularly in the lungs. ‘Cold’ on the other hand evades the body from the bottom and is why we need to wear socks or slippers inside and not be walking around barefoot on cold surfaces! You have been warned!
3. Use your spice cupboard
The spices in your cupboard play a significant role in human health- a role that is vastly underestimated in Western medicine. At the bare minimum spices have long been important in food preservation as they inhibit the growth of undesirable bacteria and other pathogens. These spices are also very warming to the body as they stimulate circulation. Herbs like cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, turmeric and the hottest of all cayenne! By warming the body they feed your digestive fire and improve digestion, clear mucus in the respiratory system to help you fight colds and flu, warm cold arthritic painful joints and move areas of stagnation whether that’s causing constipation, painful periods, a delayed labour or period. Try and add more spices into your cooking and drinking in winter using the medicinal dosages below:
Daily dose:
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp powder
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp fruit
Cardamom -1/4 tsp seed pods
Ginger- 1.5tsp powder
Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp powder
Cayenne- a pinch goes a long way!
4. Start your day with this homemade herbal chai tea recipe
Grind 2 tbsp cardamom pods with 1tbsp of clove and 1tbsp black pepper. Add this ground spice mix to a pan of boiling water (1.5 litres) and add 3 cinnamon sticks and 1.5tsp ground ginger. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on. Add 4 black or rooibus tea bags and 2 cups of milk and heat for a further 5 minutes. Strain and serve sweetened with honey.
5. Avoid cold water and foods
Cold water is not so good for our digestion and overall health. In Ayurveda they view the digestion system like a fire, a fire that needs to be kept alight and hot to do its digestive job which is to break down food and utilise the nutrition for health. Pouring a glass of freezing cold water on the fire is therefore not a good idea and can cause havoc with your digestive system. Symptoms of a cold digestive system include bloating, gas, constipation, and sore tummies. Swapping cold water for room temperature or hot water or hot tea keeps the digestive fire hot, and also helps to remove toxins from the body and hydrates your tissues more effectively than cold water. Staying away from too much cold food, especially salad at this time of year is also a good idea and increasing your fibre rich nutrient dense root vegetable intake instead.
