Winterize

With Thanksgiving inching ever closer and the brilliance of lights popping up like fireflies on a sultry Southern night, it is the perfect time to honor ourselves by winterizing. 

Let us start with the physical body. Temptations and cravings abound during this season, and for good reason! Celebrating, gathering and sharing meals is the hearthstone of the holiday season for many. Although indulgences are a beautiful part of living, one must find the delicate and ever changing balance in navigating pumpkin pie, stuffing, libations, and optimal health. This season also offers its abundance of ailments, so shoring up our natural defenses is a necessary part of thriving amidst darker months.

Start with daylight. If you are fortunate enough to have a little extra time away from work, start a new routine of standing outside at dawn, or soon thereafter. Just gaze at the sky. Breathe in the cold air. Take a listen for those hearty birds. Say a prayer. Not only will this set a beautiful tone of peace for your day, it triggers a cascade of light-interfaced hormonal responses deep within the pineal gland; a sacred turnstile called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Here is where our photosynthesis of sorts takes place. Mood, sleep, digestive function, hormone balance, and even blood sugar fluctuations depend on light signaling throughout the day. Give your brain what it craves by getting outside in natural light.

The winter solstice is soon upon us and thus our ability to absorb and convert vitamin D through our skin is much diminished. At our latitude in Central Oregon, it is nearly impossible to maintain optimal levels without consuming it through our diet. Cod liver oil, meats, bone broth, eggs, liver, mushrooms, pasture raised dairy, and fatty fish are ideal sources. Make a stew with lots of seasonal veggies in a rich bone broth. This is such a nourishing way to support gut health as well. Supplementing vitamin D3, K2 and magnesium are also good options for the winter months. These three depend upon each other for optimal absorption. K2 is contraindicated with certain medications like blood thinners or with clotting disorders, so be sure to speak with your physician (or with me if I am your doc!). I love the D3/K2/sea iodine combo that I have many of you taking via Fullscript. 5,000 IU of D3 is a great dosage for most, but it is ideal to have levels tested to make sure you remain in the optimal zone. Stay tuned for protocol recommendations I am compiling via Fullscript before the end of the year.

You knew it was coming…movement. Lean muscle mass is one of the best ways to fortify our immunity and to balance out the extra egg nog. Get out in the snow, walk the river, hit the warm gym, swim laps, and lift/pull/push/carry/swing heavy things (properly, please). It is especially helpful to move after meals. Take a little stroll with your family or do a couple of flights of stairs. Vacuum up the fir needles. This helps your blood sugar and insulin stabilize and is like a little belly rub after too big of a meal. Just move! Added muscle decreases your risk of blood sugar issues, heart conditions, including the emotional kind (more on that shortly), prevents memory loss, and keeps you mobile for decades to come. Just don’t forget to move wisely with some warmup and proper footwear, especially if kids/grandkids are involved. Shout out to a couple of my fellas out there; you know who you are. Keep running and wrestling!

Now for the heart of the matter. Many among us might feel some heavy emotions during the holiday season. Loss of family members and grief often stir the soul and touch on tender heartaches of the past. Perhaps you cannot be with loved ones, or do not have many friends or family around. Maybe the festivities create angst and you prefer to retreat. Of course, being alone and loneliness are very distinct, but they can intertwine and shake us. Sometimes, joy can even be overwhelming and leave us feeling stuffed, like that extra bite of cheesecake. Over full. We are of Divine design, and the breadth of emotions and sensations we are meant to feel are there for a purpose. Take care of yourself through connection. Nature is always there for us, representing something much bigger than ourselves. Sometimes, feeling lost in the grandness is truly a gift. Society often inflates the individual, but that is an impossible mission, as we are forever flawed, broken, and scarred. To immerse yourself in the wonder of God’s country, as they say, is just the healing a wounded heart may require. 

Connecting with others is another wonderful tonic, and laughter mends the heaviest of sorrows. Gratitude is the undercurrent of Thanksgiving and Christmas by default. When we retrain our brains and hearts to look for what is good in our lives, those humbling, feel-good neurons and emotions wire together and fire together. Bitterness, resentment and loneliness shift toward peace, forgiveness and joy. This is not trite. This is Truth.

I will leave you with these parting thoughts: 

When you spend time caring for yourself and your loved ones, the fruits of your labor feed countless souls around you. Regardless of the hardships you may face and the suffering you have endured, there is a greater love that bestows itself on you, unconditionally, eternally, compassionately, undyingly. Nourish yourself accordingly, as you have great purpose in this world and your deeper healing benefits us all.

May you be filled with gratitude, joy, peace and connection throughout your days.