Staying warm and healthy this winter

I've decided to set my writerly thoughts aside for this post and focus on staying warm. It's not easy this time of year. Not where I live. Here, winter lasts about half the year. The snow is beautiful, it's fun and magical. But it's cold. So I've compiled a list of simple things to help keep circulation moving and warmth generating.

Firstly, eating the right foods is key to both staying warm and healthy during this time of year when Old Man Winter brings cold and disease to our doorsteps. Some wonderful, warming, healing foods are:

ginger
garlic
radishes
turmeric
cayenne
cinnamon
horseradish
mustard greens or seeds
oregano
peppermint
rosemary
horseradish.

This is by no means a complete list, but plenty to keep warm by. As a general rule, foods that produce heat in the body are pungent and spicy. Winter foods should be cooked for further warmth.

I add turmeric to just about everything I eat right now. It goes on rice, beans, potatoes, in soups... It's delicious in just about everything. And it makes my food a pretty orange color. I've started to steam radishes or put them in soups. Cooking them takes some of the bite away. Also, I use short-grain rice in the colder months because it is denser and supposed to have more heat.  

Exercise can't be ignored here, either. Whether aerobic or  yogic, it moves the blood and lymphatic fluids, important for overall vitality as well as warmth.

Also worth mentioning is Dry Brushing. You can read about the technique here.

I hope all you cold climate dwellers stay healthy and warm this winter.

I'm off to plot!!!