Healthy Winter Tips

Winter is here, although it has been a much warmer entry compared to the past couple of years. Winter is the season of storage, rebuilding, and restoration. In nature, it is the time when things slow down, and many aspects of life go internal to prepare for spring. We are all a part of the natural rhythms of nature, and although many of us fight against this, it important to realize that our activities and rest should be modified accordingly during this time.

In Chinese medicine, the organ systems associated with the winter season are the kidney and the bladder. The kidney is the storehouse of the vital energy of the body. By nourishing the body's kidney energy, you are helping it to replenish energy stores. Many people find that they want to nap and sleep more during this time, and it is very good to sleep and nap more.

Here are some winter lifestyle tips that can help your body during this time:

Exercise Tips

Many of us do the same activities every season of the year without considering that our requirements may change at different times of the year.  Exercises that support the kidney and nourish the yin energy are important during winter. I recommend focusing on nourishing exercises that do not have you excessively sweating. If you are doing cardio workouts, do exercises that are not having you sweat buckets, perhaps by slightly reducing your maximum heart rate. The Phil Maffetone method of training (look it up!) is nourishing to the kidneys and adrenal glands. The basic formula is: Max heart rate=180 - your age. If you do an hour of cardio in other seasons, then reduce your workout time to 45 minutes in the winter.

The best time to exercise in the winter is in the morning. It's ideal if you can work out before 4:30 p.m. during this time of year. Chi gong, tai chi, swimming, and Pilates are great exercises to do during the winter because they encourage gentle forces on the bones. The kidney governs the bones of the body, so these exercises encourage kidney strengthening.

If you are weight training, you should focus on doing lower weights with more repetitions. The focus should be on the lower body: the legs, hips and lower back. Lunges are a great exercise for strengthening these areas, but please avoid heavy weights and pushing yourself too far with weight training. Yoga is another exercise that you can do to target your focus toward supporting the kidneys. The sphinx pose, sitting half spinal twist, seated forward bend, bridge pose, child pose and boat pose all help to stimulate and support the kidney energy of the body.

Food Tips

It is good to concentrate on warming foods and less raw foods during winter. Eat more Root vegetables like celery root, turnips, parsnips, beets, and rutabaga. These are all excellent additions. Stews containing root vegetables are a great way to go as well. Another option is to cube them and roast them in a baking pan in the oven (with oil like sunflower or olive and herbs of your choice) for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Kidney beans, black beans, walnuts, black sesame seeds, and dark leafy greens are other great additions during wintertime.

Sleep Tips

Go to sleep earlier and wake up later.

Other Homework

Different sounds stimulate the different organs, and the kidney has its own particular regenerating sound. The sound is "CHOOO" (pronounced CH-U). From the standing position make fists and bend over slightly, placing your fists where the kidneys are located near the low back. Clench your back teeth and say "CHOOOOOOOOOO" with a rolling of your tongue, if possible, until your breath is completely exhaled. You can do this for three repetitions.

If you go to the base of your neck and touch the back of your spine, you will locate the most prominent vertebrae (usually C7 to T1) sticking out slightly farther than the other vertebrae. Bring all your fingers together on one hand and make a slight cup shape. Gently tap this area for about 30 seconds every day. This is an important point to stimulate the immune system and is helpful to do during this time. Try to keep this area covered with a scarf during these cold months. You want to avoid letting wind get to this area, as too much wind here depletes the immune system.

Body Work

Chiropractic care, acupuncture and acupressure all have specific techniques to support the kidneys. For example, chiropractors support the body by working with the kidney neuroloymphatic reflexes, muscles related to the kidneys, and vertebral association. The muscles related to the kidneys are the iliacus, psoas, and upper trapezius. The vertebrae that directly innervate the kidney are the second and third lumbars. Body work keeps the energy moving in the body and can support the kidney energy.

Nutritional Supplementation

Your body's requirements may change during this time of year. Many people require more B, C and D vitamins. You may also require supplements that help to fortify the kidneys and adrenal glands. Everyone's requirements are different, and when you are muscle tested by a chiropractor, they can identify the precise nutritional supplementation that will help your immune system, kidneys, and all of your organs and glands that require support.

Dr. Louis Granirer is a leading Holistic Chiropractor in NY specializing in holistic remedies for good health maintenance and prevention of disease. Visit his website at HolisticChiropracticCenter.com to learn more.