Let’s face it. Summer in our neck of the woods is over. Time to start dreaming of a tropical vacation or of next year’s summer solstice. In the meantime, let’s focus on fall and some healthy hacks before we transition into the much colder months.
Amp up your vitamin D
Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin is essential to our health. This sunshiny vitamin can be naturally obtained from the sun. However, studies have shown that individuals living in temperate climates tend to suffer from vitamin D deficiency.
Several factors can be blamed for this trend including, lack of sunshine due to the cold, short days and long nights in temperate regions, and also technology. People aren’t going outdoors as much as they did in the past, even in the summer months. So to my friends who are living in tropics and experiencing vitamin D deficiency, consider leaving the house more frequently in order to get some natural sunshine.
Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to depression, brittle bones, brittle teeth, loss of muscle mass and impaired calcium absorption.
Sources of vitamin D include milk, eggs, liver, salmon, tuna, and swordfish. If you’re not getting enough vitamin D from your diet, which most people don’t, get thee into the sun, daily for at least 15 minutes if you have light skin and 25 to 30 minutes if you have dark skin. A quality supplement is also a good idea if you can’t get into the sun as often as you need to.
Have fun
Add some festivities to your fall lineup. Autumn is one of the most amazing seasons, with tons of wonderful things to do. Can’t think of anything fun. Here are are a few:
- Apple picking
- visiting the pumpkin patch
- Carving a pumpkin
- Splurging on apple cider or apple cider donuts
- Taking a drive to see the fabulous fall foliage
The list can go on. Recreation, which brings joy to lives is such an important yet undervalued pillar of self-care. So get out there and have lots of fall fun.
Eat warming foods
As you pile on the layers to warm yourself up, don’t forget you can access your body’s own internal thermostat by simply consuming foods that warm up your body. These seasonal foods contain higher thermal levels and will heat up your body keeping you right and tight during the cold months.
Ever noticed how nature works in our favor? Divinely, the foods that have higher thermal levels can usually be found in abundance in the cool and cold months. Conversely, cooler foods are usually during the season when we need them during the warm and hot months; lettuce, watermelon, etc. Cool huh?
Some warming foods include:
| Yams | Squash | Scallions | Quiona |
| Pepper | Parsnip | Papaya | Onion |
| Nuts | Leek | Kamquat | Ginger |
| Garlic | Fennel | Dill | Cumin |
| Coriander | Cloves | Cinnamon | Chives |
| Carrot | Pumpkin | Carbo | Brussel Sprout |
| Beet | Cabbage | Basil | Anise |
| Cauliflower | Rutabaga | Apple | Pear |
| Sweet Potato | Turnip | Dates | Pomegranate |
| Kiwi | Grapefruit | Tangerine |
Dixie Lincoln- Nichols is a biological science educator, health and wellbeing consultant and Qigong instructor. Her work has been featured in media outlets like, Oprah Mag, SELF, Yahoo and more. She is the founder of Inside Outer Beauty Market, a multi-cultutal retailer curating and creating products to support the body inside and out. Visit the site at www.iobeautymarket.com