Sweater weather signals the start of the great Canadian hibernation, thanks to shorter, colder days and the inevitable onset of cold and flu season. Taking COLD-FX Daily Support, one of the first Canadian natural health products approved to reduce the severity, frequency, and duration of colds and flu, is just one the many strategies to boost your immune system and ease the transition from summer to winter. Exercise, eating and sleeping well and managing stress are also important, especially during the time of year when we tend to move less and spend more time indoors. 

To help make the next few months fly by, here are a few tips for staying happy, healthy and active all winter. 

Set up a Family/Friends Challenge

There’s nothing like a little friendly competition to put some spark into your regular routine. Whether it’s family versus family, co-worker versus co-worker or friends versus friends, choose a challenge, set a wager and let the fun begin. See which team can accumulate the most daily steps, earn the best Wordle stats or be the first to finish a 1,000-piece puzzle. Just remember that winning isn’t the ultimate goal. Teams that have the most fun rallying around a common purpose are the true winners.

Stay Limber

The routine of moving from car, to desk, to couch becomes all too familiar during the winter months. Give your body a break from all that sitting by moving through a series of exercises designed to gently and purposefully take you through a full range of motion. There are plenty of apps (paid and free) offering mobility routines that can be done first thing in the morning, at your desk or after the dinner dishes are done and the kids are in bed. Whether you have five or 55 minutes, you won’t regret making time to get your body moving. 

Connect in the kitchen

Spend at least one night a week preparing dinner as a team – be it your partner, kids or friends there’s always room in the kitchen for one more. Why the group effort? Working together to put something special on the table is a great way to stay connected with those around you. Set a theme, focus on a single ingredient or assign everyone a different task, dish or course. It’s the process not just the end result that counts, so don’t worry if something boils over or a dish misses the mark – kitchen disasters make for the best conversations. Gather the ingredients, assign workstations, put on lively playlist and get cooking. 

Get outside

Just because the weather has turned colder doesn’t mean the outdoors is off limits. Make a habit to get outside at least once a day. Whether you walk, ski, jog or snowshoe, enjoying how the snow sparkles in the sun, catching snowflakes on your tongue or making first tracks after a snowfall are just some of the rewards of putting down the remote and connecting with nature. Solo or in good company, winter is meant to be enjoyed.