Winter Wellness, Made Simple

Winter doesn’t ask us to do more; it asks us to do what matters. In today's episode, we dig into a practical, earth-based approach to seasonal wellness where warm food, steady movement, and deeper rest work together to calm the nervous system, support digestion, and strengthen immunity during the winter months. 

Drawing from Ayurveda and circadian science, we translate “winter energy” into clear actions you can take this season to create better balance & optimal health, without complicated rules or rigid routines.

You will learn:

• Why aligning to the season improves mood, sleep, and metabolic balance
• What foods & self-practices will best support winter energy
• How brief outdoor light right after sunrise stabilizes your internal clock even on cloudy days, and how simple lymph movers—dry brushing, bouncing, breath work—prevent that heavy, stuck feeling winter can bring. 
• Which evening strategies, like dimmer lights, earlier dinners, hot baths, and device light control, will protect melatonin and deepen sleep.
• A simple winter solstice ritual to welcome in the new season & best prepare for the year ahead. 
• And then finally how to improve immune resilience with hydration, sleep consistency, vitamin D, mushrooms, garlic, citrus, green tea, and easy at-the-ready remedies like medicinal honey and bone broth.

Everything is designed to be doable, adaptable to your climate, and anchored in the simple truth that health improves when we move with nature’s tempo.

Listen now, share with a friend who needs a winter reset, and subscribe for upcoming episodes on reflective journaling and intentional goal setting. And if you're enjoying the podcast, please help us spread the word by sharing and leaving a review.

Resources from show:

👉 Winter Wellness Blog Post

👉 My Favorite Winter Remedies

👉 And if you want to dive even deeper, you can join us inside the Healing Accelerator for the Winter Wellness Workshop watch party PLUS lock in current pricing before December 31st!

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Transcript

Recording Started

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello, and welcome back to the Ground and Root Podcast, where we explore the world of holistic and functional strategies to enhance your healing and help you stay cancer free. I'm your host and holistic cancer dietitian, Dion Detraz. Today we are going to dive into the nuances of seasonal wellness and the steps you can take to enhance your health and your wellness this winter. We are less than two weeks away from the start of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere. And it is time, if you haven't already, to shift your routine, shift your self-care practices to match the changing energy of the season. We're going to talk about why this matters and the steps you can take to ensure that your self-care practices match the rhythm of the season. So, first let's just start with why seasonal wellness matters. Here at Ground and Root, earth-based and seasonal living is really at the heart of what we teach. It is actually one of the pillars of optimal health and optimal wellness that will help you stay healthy and free of disease. And the reason behind this is actually pretty simple and straightforward. We evolved in nature, right? It's really just modern history that we've sort of removed ourselves from the seasons and the aspects of nature. We essentially evolved very much in tune with the changing season. And that is what's going to work best for our physiology, but also for our emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being as well. When we pay attention to what's happening around us with the earth, when we follow the cues that we're seeing in nature and the changing seasons, and then we adapt our practices accordingly, we end up promoting better balance. And again, that's not just physically in our body, but also mentally and spiritually as well. And we know that true health and wellness and healing is body, mind, and spirit, right? It's not just the body. So ultimately, when we create this better balance, we create better health. And furthermore, it is these practices which are at the heart of some of the longest-lived cultures in the world. When you look at blue zones, a lot of them match their practices very much with the geography of where they live, right? With what nature is doing where they live. Now, this is much easier to do than you might think. So, first we're going to start with just how do we balance the energy of winter? Like, what is that? What does that energy mean? Hopefully, some of this is going to feel very intuitive to you, right? Like if you just look outside, you're going to get a lot of cues about what we should be doing in our own routines and our own practices. But in general, and I'm going to pull some of the philosophies from Ayurveda as well, because I feel like, and and Chinese medicine talks about the elements as well. So you can pull from different philosophies to help you better understand these concepts. But I'm going to use Ayurveda as one tool to help us understand this. So in general, winter is dominated by the elements of water and earth. So when we think about the elements, that's like earth, air, water, fire, right? Those are essentially the four primary elements. So winter is dominated by more water and more earth energy. Okay. This can be really nice, right? Water brings us more in touch with our fluidity, it helps us stay in flow. It um heightens our emotional um resonance. It heightens our intuition. Like there's some really cool things that can happen with water energy. And then earth energy is very grounding, it's very rooting. It brings us back into our bodies, into our nervous systems. So this can be very juicy in the winter months. Um there can also be a strong influence from air, right? Depending like wind, you can think about that, depending on where you live. But ultimately, these energies are gonna be slightly different depending on where you geographically live, right? So, what I want you to do in this episode is to pick up the general concepts, but I want you to really be mindful of what's true for you, where you live, right? Because the amount of water and earth and air is gonna vary depending on where you are on the earth. So keep that in mind, okay? There's general principles we're gonna talk about, but what's most important is what you practice, what's true for where you live. Because we're trying to match our physiology with like the actual locations, the actual places that we live. So, what does this mean when these energies get out of balance? So, when we have, for example, so when winter is dominated by more water and earth energy, um, this can feel really nice if you tend to have a lot of fire, like I do, in your just constitution, it can feel really balancing, which can be great. But if you already tend to have some water or earth elements in your constitution, it can become excess in the winter months. And what does that mean? What does it mean when there's too much water, too much earth energy in your bodies? Um, this can cause us to feel more cold, it can cause us to feel sluggish, right? It can cause us to feel more depleted, tired, overwhelmed. Um, it can also cause sluggish digestion, right? So you might suffer with more constipation or kind of some gut stuff might come up for you in the winter months. It also, if you think about sluggish energy and more kind of wet energy, this can also create more mucus in the respiratory tract, right? So it's probably not a coincidence that we have more colds and flus in the winter months when we also have this like excess water earth energy, which is sort of slowing everything down. Right. Hopefully that makes sense. Now, how do we balance that out? How do we make sure that we don't create too much, too much excess water in earth? And that's we're gonna talk about here next. So basically we want to balance it with warmth, fire, and stimulation, air. Okay. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna bring in foods and practices that help promote more warmth and stimulation so that we keep things moving, we keep things in balance during the winter months, right? When this energy, when this water earth energy in in Ayurveda, this is known as kha energy. So where when khaffa is in balance, this can be really beautiful, right? It can be, it can provide us with more steady, consistent energy with a really healthy and strong immune system, which is ultimately gonna help us get through the cold and flu season, um, hopefully without getting sick or with less sick days. Um, it's also gonna help us better balance resting with doing. So we'll notice just intuitively in our bodies that we're not doing too much or too little. Like we're we're kind of have a more steady flow in our day, right? Obviously, we'll have um, you know, better digestion too, because things are moving and not getting backed up. So, how do we do this? I'm gonna give you three ways to do this today. And then I'm gonna give you some ideas of where you can go to learn more. If this is piquing your interest, and if you're brand new to this concept of seasonal wellness, then this might be really interesting and fascinating for you. And just another way we can promote, you know, better harmony and health in our bodies. So, first, of course, we're gonna talk about food. So, tip number one to help keep coffee energy in balance is to eat in season. That's first and foremost, what's growing where you live. Okay. Try to keep your choice, your choice, choices, excuse me, local as much as possible. And then what are the foods or what are the ways of preparing our food that are gonna, again, think warmth and stimulate, right? What is gonna help keep the digestion moving, keep mucus clear. So we want foods and beverages that are warm, that are cooked, that are stimulating during the winter months. Think soups, stews, slow cooked meals, roasted root veggies, right? Fermented foods. It's gonna help promote, it's gonna help stimulate digestive juices and keep our gut moving. Think warm, pungent herbs and spices, things that are good, again, stimulate digestion, stimulate circulation, keep us warm, right? Clear mucus, things like ginger, like thyme and cayenne, garlic, rosemary, sage, okay, more of these things in our cooking, in our beverages. This is not the best time to be eating the way we did in the summer. It doesn't mean you can't have some salads and smoothies and like juices, but that is that is gonna balance summer energy better than it's gonna balance winter energy. If we do too much raw, cold um foods or beverages right now, we're gonna promote more of that earth, water, coffee energy. And it could very much become excess, right? So hopefully that makes sense. Again, intuitively, it's just sort of a reminder like, huh, okay, what's happening outside? How do I match my practices with what's happening outside? This keeps us in better balance. Okay, tip number two to counteract this sluggish energy that can creep up during the winter months, is we need to keep moving, right? And obviously, this can be with exercise and just getting outside and going for walks or taking a run or bike ride, regardless of what is happening with the weather. I mean, assuming it's safe to do so. But it's actually good for us to spend time outside, even when it's cold, even when it's snowing or raining, right? Because there is also this matching of energy, like our bodies understanding what's happening outside again, keeps us in better health, in better balance. It builds resilience in our bodies. If we just stay in climate-controlled indoor areas all the time in the winter months, we create a more fragile system. Okay. So it is good for us to get outside, even if you have to bundle up with a bunch of layers until you get used to the, you know, the new temperature where you live. So ideally, we're outside, we're moving, we're getting up probably before before the sunrise, depending on where you live. This might be around 7 a.m. or so, if you know, if that works with your work schedule and what have you. Um, and then as soon as the sun is up, we get outside. So we might go for a walk, we do some exercise if that's possible for you, depending on, you know, your work day. Um, we're getting sunlight in our eyes. What's important here to remember too, with circadian rhythm support, which can be trickier in the winter months when our daylight hours are a lot less, right? We have longer nights, shorter days. Um, what is important is that we still get that first light in our eyes, even if it's not sunny, even if it's snowy, even if it's overcast. It doesn't matter if you remember from our circadian rhythm episode. You just need the outside light to get into your eyes. That is what's gonna help keep your circadian rhythm healthy even during the dark months of the year. So we want to get up early, we want to get outside when the sun is up. We also wanna do things that are gonna stimulate lymph, okay? So we can keep our lymph moving with dry brushing, with jumping on a trampoline or jumping jacks with breath work, right? Having some vigorous exercise during our week. This does not have to be every day, but this is all gonna help keep things moving in the body. Even daily oiling is a great practice, like a kind of like a self-lymph massage, can be really great at keeping things moving. The third tip is to balance moving with more time for rest because the truth is we do have that energy of winter, which is asking us to slow down. It, you know, we have longer nights. It's asking us to sleep more. So we might be going to bed earlier, even though we're still getting up around 7 a.m. Um, but we're trying to also again tap into this time of year when we're being called to slow down and rest. It doesn't mean we're doing nothing, right? We're balancing it with movement, but we're also ideally allowing space to do less. Our bodies thrive, especially our mental health, with rest and relaxation and some alone time during the winter months. That is what this energy is calling us to do. Okay. So it's crucial, especially during the holiday season, which I know can be really tricky right now. There's like so much on the to-do list. But if it is at all possible for you to remove some things from your to-do list, to shorten the to-do list, a schedule in more time for rest, for downtime, right? Um, yes, we still want to create time to be to social and to gather because we are trying to balance this energy. We don't want to become so sluggish that we're not leaving the house and we just are alone all the time, right? It needs to, we need to balance both, but we're not doing one without the other. I hope that makes sense. Um, we talked about taking our cues from the sun, coming home and wrapping up your day earlier, if at all possible, after dinner, dimming the lights, lighting some candles, lighting a fire if you have a fireplace or a stove in your house, um, taking a hot bath, like really trying again, mimic the energy of winter, using blue block, blue blocking glasses if at all possible, once the sun sets. All of this is going to help keep your circadian rhythm healthy during the winter months. Okay, so a slower, more relaxed pace, if at all possible. And maybe that's just the priority. Like, what can you do to slow down during these dark months of the year while still creating plenty of opportunities for fun and for, you know, morning movement and for seeing friends and gathering with family to help keep you really balanced and grounded during these winter months. The last thing I want to mention is immune boosting support. So by keeping in by keeping coffee in balance, okay, and implementing the previous three tips, this will directly benefit the immune system. When coffee is healthy and balanced, we have naturally strong immune systems. So that is probably step number one is to just match your energy with winter, okay? But we can also help optimize our immune system. And this is not, we could have a separate episode just on this or several episodes. So I'm just gonna give you the highlights here as more like reminders, right? Meeting your hydration goals every day, getting enough sleep every day, every night, rather, ramping up your intake of immune-boosting foods. So things like garlic and green tea and mushrooms and bone broth, right? Citrus, getting a lot of vitamin C. So the right nutrients are coming in. You're keeping your body moving and strong and sleeping enough. Um, you might also be taking some extra vitamin D or some extra immune-boosting adaptogens or herbs just to kind of keep your immune system steady during these winter months. In our house, we typically add in supplemental D during the winter months. And I always keep a jar of my medicinal honey at the ready as well as the mineral-rich bone broth. Those are like non-negotiables in my house. And then we might have some other boosters, you know, when we're starting to feel like we're coming down with something, but those are the primary ones. And I'll make sure to link to those um posts in the show notes so that you can go grab those remedies too if you'd like to make them, if you're not familiar. The last thing I want to mention today is some just some more like spiritual emotional support during the winter. And one of the ways we do this when we think about seasonal wellness, and obviously I'm gonna give you different tips at each of the four seasons. Okay, so we're starting with winter, but it is really important to just sort of welcome in creating some kind of ritual or practice where you're welcoming in this new season. So you're really being intentional, right? You're sort of setting the attention that it is winter, I am shifting up my routine. Uh, perhaps I'm setting some intentions for the for this season. Um, and I'm really inviting in the medicine and the magic that comes with this season. So, one of the ways you can do this, I'm just gonna give you an example of how I like to do it, but it can be any way you want. Okay, this is your practice, this is the way you want to welcome in winter where you live. It would be ideal to do this around the winter solstice, right? That's like the first day of winter in the northern hemisphere. This is typically around December 21st. So you can use it as um one of your holiday rituals. This is how we do it in my house. And it can be a whole day or it can be a half a day, but it's just like with intentional warming, nourishing, winter-inspired activities. So here's how this might look. Perhaps you really try to take in this like idea of coffee balancing on this particular day. So you start your day outside when the sun comes up with a walk in nature, ideally, so you can like, you know, really take note of what's happening where you live. What do the trees look like? What is what is the what are the plants, the herbs, the animals, like? What do you notice? Are you still seeing birds or not? Um, really take in the signs that of what's true for where you live. Where I live in France, the earth is really getting ready for slumber. You know, things are getting quieter. There are the leaves have fallen. Um, there might be snow by winter solstice, sometimes not. Just, you know, depends on where the the year. But really take in what is happening, what is true where you live. When you finish your raw, your walk, perhaps you sit quietly outside if it's comfortable enough, if you have enough layers and you can do that. Notice what's around you, drop into your own breath and body, and take a little time to meditate and reflect on this last year. You know, we're also wrapping up the end of the year. And it's a great time to just reflect what happened this year for you. How did you grow? What's different now than it then was true for you a year ago, right? How do you feel? What patterns or beliefs or habits are just no longer serving you that you're ready to release and keep in this year? What aspirations do you have for the next year? So just keep it really open and loose, right? I'm gonna give you some more intentional journaling exercises with some upcoming episodes as we really approach the end of the year. But for now, just, you know, create this little mini meditation, reflection, pause during your winter ritual and take notes in a journal, see what comes up. If you feel inspired, you might want to um, you know, really ceremoniously burn the list of things you're releasing. But again, I think we can talk about this more in the next episode. Then what I really love to do is gather with friends and family for a special winter meal. Now, many of you may already be doing this around your holidays, depending on what you celebrate and when you celebrate. I like to do this on the winter solstice as well. We invite our friends over, we have a special winter meal together. Um, you can or you don't have to, but you know, after dinner, perhaps you light a candle in honor of the sun's return, or even consider spending the evening by candlelight, just something that's sort of, you know, spiritually taking into account what's happening around you outside. The winter solstice is when we have the shortest day of the year, the longest night of the year. Starting the day after the winter solstice, that begins to shift, right? So little by little, the days. Get longer and the nights get shorter. So we can ritualize this again by using candlelight, firelight, like sort of honoring the fact that this is the longest night. And now we're going to start getting more and more daylight again. Whatever you choose to do, again, make it your own. Okay. But I just invite you to take a moment to mark it. Mark this first day of winter, mark the new season. Notice how that feels in your body, in your mind, in your spirit. When we honor both the dark and the light, we really allow our physical and our mental health to be more balanced, to be more grounded in the natural rhythms of life. I firmly believe this is a key piece to healing and to health and to something that we've just let go of. You know, we've a lot of people have forgotten how important this is. And this tiny little episode today of how you can create more intentionality as we move into this new season could make a really big difference in your health and your healing. So all around us, the earth is preparing for slumber, right? The trees, the animals, the plants, maybe more so, you know, in the more north you go. Again, depending on where you live. But there is still a certain stillness that comes with winter, right? It can be a time of mystery, of magic. Um, I mean, think about the magic of Christmas, right? There is just kind of this inherent energy right now, this time to reflect, to set intentions for the next year, a time to slow down, to get more sleep. Essentially, it's a time to reset. And I really invite you to like allow that into your life in whatever way looks um great for you. Okay. In our Christmas Eve episode, we're going to dive more deeply into how to kind of journal and sort of intentionally reflect and set some mindful, nourishing intentions for the next year. So we're gonna dive into that concept more deeply uh very soon in our Christmas Eve episode and also in our New Year's Eve episode. So you can stay tuned for that. Right now, I just invite you to really think about your food, your practices, your routines. How can you begin to shift those to be more in alignment with winter? And if you want to dive deeper, because I know this can be a really fascinating topic. So if you're super interested and you're like, I want to learn more about this, I am going to link to um some resources in the show notes so that you can go further, um, some blog posts, as well as an opportunity to join us inside the Healing Accelerator. This month, we are doing a winter wellness workshop party, a watch party, which is a two-hour workshop all about winter and all about how you can nourish yourself through winter. We have cooking demos, so many fun things in there. That is coming up in the next couple weeks. We also have extra immune boosting strategies that we're sharing on our coaching calls this month. So there's a lot of goodness if you're ready to really kind of not just step into winter, but step into enhancing your health and healing in general. This would be a great time to join us inside the accelerator. We also are offering um through the end of this year, so just until January, excuse me, December 31st. Um, you can join us at the current pricing for the lifetime of your membership. For however long you stay with us, you will get to lock in the current pricing. January 1st, we will have it will be a new investment to join us. We're uh we're bringing in a lot of new upgrades and add-ons to our program starting January 1st. So now is the time if you want to get in at the current price, but still take advantage of everything else that's coming in January. Now would be a great time to do that and to get yourself ready for winter. Okay. Thank you so much for being here today, for listening to this episode. I hope it brought you some inspiration and some ideas of how you can make this winter healthier and more balanced and more joyful for you. If you're enjoying the content that we're covering here at the Ground and Root Podcast, please help us spread the word. We are still such a new podcast. Um, I'm so grateful that you're here, but please spread the word, share, subscribe, leave a review. This helps us get in front of more people. And I really appreciate your support and helping this information get into the ears of as many people as possible because that is ultimately how we're going to change lives and begin to change this the statistics on cancer. I wish you such a beautiful day, such a happy winter. And I look forward to connecting with you again on next week's episode. Bye for now.