Winter Wellness: 4 Tips To Stay Strong This Season
All this cold getting you down? Two Bergen doctors offer advice to feel good even when the weather is bad.
We are coming to the end of another snowy, cold week, and the forecast isn’t predicting a turn toward spring anytime soon (and, if you don’t trust the weatherman, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow back on Feb. 2, predicting six more weeks of winter).
There are plenty of ways to banish the winter blues—you can take up a new hobby, start practicing an old one or take advantage of the many fantastic events and trips in and around Bergen. But, of course, to do any of that, you need to be feeling your best, and that’s easier said than done. This year’s flu season has been particularly bad, in addition to the usual mid-winter malaise, and cold weather can make pre-existing conditions, particularly cardiac conditions, worse.
How to keep yourself in tip-top shape? Here, two Bergen-based doctors—Ernest Chang, M.D., of Valley Health System and Vladimir Joseph, M.D., of Hackensack Meridian Health—give you tips on how to feel your best.
Take it easy on the shoveling. If you have pre-existing heart problems, shoveling can be more than just a chilly inconvenience—it can put certain people’s lives at risk. “Shoveling snow is a very strenuous physical activity,” says Dr. Joseph. “The exertion is intense, and this is compounded by the fact that a lot of people don’t get regular exercise. For people who also have an underlying heart disease, there is an increased risk for cardiac events.”
“You don’t need to stay away from shoveling snow altogether,” says Dr. Chang. “But always dress warmly and take your time. It’s not a race. And if you can’t do it yourself, hire professionals so you don’t overexert yourself in the cold.”
Stay active. It can be hard to get out of the house and to go the gym, or even take a walk around the block, when the weather is this cold, but doing so is essential. “Make sure you’re getting the recommended amount of exercise [the American Heart Association suggests 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week], and remember to do it consistently,” says Dr. Joseph. “I find, when talking to patients, that people treat winter like a true hibernation period. They don’t exercise as much. You don’t need to go out into the cold, but going to the gym or increasing the walking you do at work can make a huge difference.”
Get vaccinated. A virus can do more than just derail your week and keep you home sick—it can cause major stress to your heart and other major organs. The best way to keep away certain viruses is, of course, to vaccinate against them. “Patients with existing conditions, such as high blood pressure, historic heart failure or atrial fibrillation, are particularly susceptible to infection with COVID, colds, flu and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus],” says Dr. Chang. “It’s never too late to get a flu shot, a COVID vaccine or an RSV vaccine.”
Take precautions. To further protect against these viruses, wash your hands regularly with soap for at least 20 seconds. If you do feel sick, do your best to stay away from other people (or consider masking in public places such as the supermarket). Dry, cracked skin can lead to open portals for germs into the body, so hand lotion is a must as well. Lastly, a full night’s rest will help your body fight off illnesses.
Want to see the rest of Dr. Chang and Dr. Joseph’s tips? See the February edition of BERGEN.
