Embracing Winter: Tips for Health and Wellness
- Staci Gulbin, MS, MEd, RD
- Dec 12, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 14
Cold weather can bring dry, itchy skin, cravings for calorie-laden comfort foods, and holiday stress. Fortunately, with a few simple tips, you can ease discomfort, stay hydrated, and maintain healthy eating patterns. This way, you can feel your best this winter. Read below to learn about the impact of cold weather and the holiday season on health, simple tips to support health during this time of year, and the latest products that can help you feel better inside and out.
Winter Wellness: Tips for Staying Healthy
The Impact of Cold Weather on Health
Skin Health
In cold weather, skin can become dry and inflamed from both indoor and outdoor exposures. Indoors, dry air from heating devices reduces moisture in the skin, increasing skin stress. Dry, itchy, and inflamed skin can also occur outdoors in winter and spring due to lower humidity. Cold weather reduces skin barrier function, leading to tightness and dryness.
When the weather cools down, it's time to ramp up your hydration routine inside and out. Drinking plenty of water daily and soothing skin with nutrient-rich lotions is vital for keeping your skin feeling and looking its best. A 2024 study shows that drinking adequate water daily can improve skin barrier function. Using moisturizers containing shea butter and other natural ingredients can enhance skin hydration over time.
Digestive Health
You may notice your body craving warm comfort foods during the cold months. This craving may be partly due to the holidays that fill tables with such foods. However, it may also be your body helping you stay healthy. Research shows that cold temperatures can lead to gut bacteria imbalance and increase your gut's risk of inflammation.
A 2025 study indicates that low humidity levels can increase gut barrier dysfunction. Together with cold exposure, this time of year puts the gut at great risk of imbalance. Therefore, consuming warm beverages and food during winter is essential for soothing digestion. In fact, a 2025 study using data from San Diego State University's Healthy Aging Survey shows that participants who drank more hot beverages in winter reported lower levels of depression, improved sleep quality, and fewer digestive symptoms.
Holiday Season Stress and Its Health Impacts
The holiday season can be joyful but also stressful for many. Stress can stem from planning and preparing for holiday events, as well as from the events themselves. Other holiday stressors include:
Financial stress (e.g., not enough money for food, gifts, etc.)
Relationship stress (e.g., pressure to meet family, friends, or gift-giving)
Family stress (e.g., memories of lost loved ones, estrangement, family dysfunction)
Stress around food (e.g., maintaining a healthy eating plan during holiday events)
This stress can lead to high-calorie consumption and, in turn, weight gain. Some experts suggest interventions like maintaining regular exercise, monitoring portion sizes during meals, tracking foods, and self-weighing during winter months, especially between November and January, to mitigate weight gain.
Simple Tips to Support Health Inside and Out
Before discussing the latest products that can help support your health this winter season, let's explore some simple tips to help you feel your best, regardless of the products you choose to use.
Consume Plenty of Protein
Protein is crucial for supporting all aspects of health, especially muscle health. Most adults require at least 1.0 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for optimal health. Individuals who exercise intensely, have illnesses, or experience age-related low muscle mass may need closer to 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
You can consume lean protein from animal sources like milk, cheese, beef, poultry, seafood, fish, and eggs, or from plant-based sources like beans, legumes, soy, nuts, or seeds. Whey protein is a convenient source that comes in many flavors and forms. It has the potential to enhance gut health. For example, whey protein has prebiotic properties that can improve gastrointestinal health. A 2025 study shows that whey protein isolate can help improve gut microbiota diversity in some adults.
Drink Warm Beverages
Drinking warm beverages like tea, coffee, and cocoa is not just soothing in cold weather; they also have health benefits. A 2022 study on the effects of warm drinks on gastric emptying after exercise shows that consuming warm carbohydrate and protein-containing drinks may help reduce gastric discomfort by accelerating gastric emptying. Such warm drinks may also stimulate appetite in older adults, reducing the risk of malnutrition in this population.
Spice Up Your Diet
Spicy foods and hot sauces contain capsaicin, which may reduce inflammation in the body over time due to its antioxidant properties. However, spicy foods can cause heartburn in some individuals and gastrointestinal discomfort in large amounts, so moderation is key. A drizzle of hot sauce on your meals now and then can be a great alternative to higher sodium or sugar sauce options.
Prioritize Skin Hydration
Drinking plenty of low to no-calorie fluids is vital for staying healthy inside and out. To optimize skin hydration and health, look for specific ingredients in skincare products that help keep your skin moisturized and glowing. Research shows that grapeseed oil-based products can reduce pore size and improve skin moisture and elasticity.
Skin care products containing other natural ingredients like shea butter also show potent hydration potential. Other natural ingredients like aloe vera can provide moisture gently, making them ideal for sensitive skin.
In addition to topical treatments, keeping your gut healthy is essential for maintaining skin health and hydration. Emerging evidence suggests a gut-skin axis, where the gut microbiome impacts inflammatory and immune-mediated responses in the body. Therefore, maintaining gut health through proper nutrition is just as important as skincare for ensuring skin health.
Find Time to Relax
The holidays can become so busy that we forget to take time to enjoy them. Follow these simple tips to ensure proper rest and relaxation during the cold weather season and any time of year:
Engage in gentle exercise, such as walking each day without running errands or having a specific goal in mind.
Set up a bedtime routine with a warm cup of cocoa or herbal tea to help you settle down and achieve a minimum of seven hours of sleep each night.
Manage menstrual symptoms like cramping or bloating by eating less salt, drinking less alcohol and caffeine, and taking time for meditation and gentle exercise daily.
Delegate tasks to others to avoid burnout and build a long-term support system.
Reach out to trusted health professionals to discuss your stress and learn ways to manage it better.
Try alternative therapies like acupuncture, tai chi, or massage therapy to help reduce stress in your body and mind.
Latest Products to Help You Feel Better Inside and Out
ATASHE Bodysuit
Atashe offers a line of beautifully designed bodysuits made from high-quality, buttery soft fabric. These unique designs cater to each phase of your menstrual cycle. I had the pleasure of sampling the Rest Cycle-Syncing Bodysuit, which provides gentle compression to relieve bloating during the late luteal phase. With its cute capped short sleeves and two-button closure between the legs, this bodysuit pairs well with leggings, jeans, or dress pants, either alone or under a blazer for a fashionable look. Atashe is where style meets comfort in its finest form.
Wholesome Hippy Skin Care
Wholesome Hippy focuses on providing all-natural, clean ingredients to create products that heal and nourish skin at any age. I had the chance to try their foot rescue lotion and hydrating face lotion.
The Wholesome Hippy Foot Rescue cream offers a rich and thick finish with a light feeling that soothes dry and/or scaly feet while invigorating the senses with its refreshing peppermint scent.
Meanwhile, the Dehydrated Skin Rescue face lotion provides an unscented yet subtly fragrant layer of moisture on the skin that you can barely feel. My skin soaked up this lotion almost immediately after applying it. In no time, my facial skin transformed from dry and rough to smooth and hydrated.
Ghost Protein Powders and Electrolyte Drink
GHOST is a lifestyle sports nutrition brand that offers protein powders, protein bars, protein cereals, and more to support your health goals.
I had the pleasure of trying a few of their delicious products. GHOST Count Chocula whey protein tastes great mixed with cold milk, reminiscent of childhood cereal flavors. If you prefer, use warm water or milk to mix the powder for a comforting hot cocoa feel. Place it in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm or about one minute to create a pudding-like texture, perfect for a high-protein dessert option.
GHOST also has a clear protein powder option if you’re not in the mood for a sweet drink. This fruity and tart strawberry kiwi powder blends well in cold water. Just add water to your bottle or blender, measure in the powder, close the lid, and shake well. It creates a foamy mix that needs to settle for a minute before consuming. From my experience, it tastes even better if you let it chill in the fridge after mixing.
Finally, GHOST electrolyte powder contains a mix of vital electrolytes in convenient packets for optimal hydration on-the-go. Just mix one packet with a bottle of water for a low-sugar alternative to sports drinks.
Taste Flavor Co. Hot Sauces
Taste Flavor Co.'s low-calorie, sugar-free hot sauces are the perfect complement to any dish, regardless of your flavor preference. For spicy palates, there are Sriracha Hot Honey, Mango Habanero, and Spicy Blue Cheese sauces. On the sweeter side, try Cherry BBQ and Sweet Honey Mustard. My personal favorite is Spicy Garlic Parmesan, which has a delicious cheesy garlic flavor with a pepper bite. Drizzle these sauces onto your favorite protein like chicken or shrimp, or toss them into veggies for a unique flavor boost.
Conclusion
Winter can be a challenging time for health and wellness. However, by implementing these simple tips and exploring the latest products, you can support your health inside and out. Remember to stay hydrated, consume nourishing foods, and prioritize self-care. Embrace the season and enjoy the warmth it can bring to your life.
References
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