Welcome to fall—cold and flu season has arrived, the days are getting shorter, your work schedule is piling up, and all the holidays are looming over your shoulders. It’s time to get through the winter with our fall self-care guide.
“(Fall) is a season when we should pay more attention to self-care strategies and make sure we maintain healthy habits during the holiday rush and post-holiday catch-up period,” said Elson HaasM.D., founder and director of Preventive Medicine Center in San Rafael, California, and Stay healthy with the seasons.
Consider some of the following self-care options to make the most of the time ahead. If you focus on being kind to yourself now, Haas says, you’ll be rewarded in the coming months with a stronger immune system, lower stress levels and greater resilience.
1. Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables
“The best our bodies can do is function optimally through foods that are in season, especially when they are also local,” Haas said.
That’s because, while a variety of frozen fruits and vegetables provide year-round produce, fresh-picked seasonal options can provide even more powerful nutrients. Boost your nutrition with fall favorites like squash, carrots, broccoli, cabbage and squash.
In addition to eating fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season, choose local produce. Your fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients and take less time to ship, and less time to ship is better for our environment.
2. Change the way you exercise
It’s easy to get stuck on exercise when you’re on the go, but fall is a great time to make a switch and try new ways to exercise. A new exercise routine may give you energy and reduce schedule-related stress.
If you want to keep your routine fairly consistent, try starting small: add a new cardio routine to one of your sports, try a new exercise recovery format, or switch your fitness days to at-home workouts.
With a BODi subscription, you can workout virtually anywhere and get access to hundreds of instructor-led workouts, from strength training and HIIT to barre and Pilates. Check out these popular exercise programs:
3. Take a yoga break
Restorative and yin yoga poses can help you reduce stress, and you can practice them anywhere, even in the office.
If you’re looking for a quick way to steady your mind and stretch your body, try Child’s Pose. Child’s Pose is great because it stretches your hips and ankles, lengthens your spine, and gives you a moment of peace to focus on finding your center.
If you’d like to start practicing more regularly, BODi’s Yoga52 program is great for beginners and long-term practitioners. Each workout is guided by one of our four world-class trainers, with prompts so precise you don’t even need to look at a screen.
4. Take a sneak nap
Try taking a 20-minute nap – even if you don’t actually fall asleep – as it has great benefits in resetting your system, according to reports W. Chris WinterDr. Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine, ” Sleep Solutions.
“Only once or twice a week, try to take a nap at the same time of day,” says Winter. “Your brain and body will begin to anticipate this break and activate a cascade of stress-relieving chemicals.”
5. Stay hydrated
You probably already know that drinking enough water has many benefits for your body—from improving digestion to lubricating your joints—but hydration is important too affect your mood. As the holidays approach, it’s important to stay positive and healthy, so stay hydrated!
“The most important thing is to understand that as the seasons change, we change,” Haas said. “Recognizing and working with this shift will really help you thrive in the coming months.”
