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Most December is filled with things to look forward to – this bubbly season, before New Year’s resolutions begin, filled with parties and time with family and friends. I don’t have to tell you why that is not what is happening this year. Plus, many of the weird bright spots of the year of the pandemic – workouts in the park, drinks on the sidewalk – become much less enjoyable as it gets darker and colder. Cases of the virus are increasing across the country, with no real end in sight. The vaccine is on its way, but this winter will be a bit difficult, frankly.
You can’t control any of this, but there is still a long way to go to get there healthy, both physically and mentally. We reached out to a pair of health and fitness experts to get four recommendations.
1. Get the flu shot.
This is not the vaccine you want, but it is the one you need right now. You may think, with all that you do to stop the spread of COVID, that a flu shot is not necessary. You would be wrong! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), anyone over the age of 6 months should get one, especially this year.
“With COVID-19 cases soaring across the country, you need to protect yourself from as many other illnesses as possible,” says James N. Robinson, MD, doctor at New York City Special Surgery Hospital. “Since most hospitals across the country are operating at or near full capacity during flu season, it is important to do our part to keep resources available to treat patients with coronavirus.”
Listen to this? Use the CDC’s tool to find a location and pick up the photo – it’s not too late.
2. Strengthen your physical situation at home.
We’ve been trying all of this work out of the house for a minute now, tackling everything from high intensity interval training routines to leg day without leaving the living room.
But maybe getting on the home fitness train hasn’t been a top priority – according to Polly de Mille, director of the Tisch Sports Performance Center at HSS, it should be. “Besides the physical benefits of physical activity,” she says, “there are also very obvious psychological benefits”.
To make sure the fitness really takes place, Mille’s most important thing is to make your setup as easy and seamless as possible. This includes acquiring the tools you need to regularly incorporate flexibility, cardio, and strength into the mix. (Fortunately, these items become easier to find after months of supply chain disruption.)
So if you need resistance bands, a few dumbbells, and a stretching strap, do yourself a favor and buy it now. “You don’t have to spend a ton of money,” she says. But do what you can to make it transparent: “Remove as many obstacles as possible.”
3. Consider taking a vitamin D supplement.
It is important to try to get as many of your Recommended Daily Values of vitamins and minerals from your diet – a balanced whole food diet has so many holistic benefits that cannot be summed up with just a list of micronutrients. .
But Robinson says there’s nothing wrong with strategically seeking supplements to improve your overall well-being from December through March, if needed. In particular, it emphasizes the importance of vitamin D.
“Vitamin D is not found naturally in our diet, although some milk and grains are fortified with it,” he says. “The only way to get vitamin D naturally is through the sun. Of course, during the winter months we get less sunlight and vitamin D deficiency is very common. ”
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