There is research that indicates massage increases the flow from your lymph nodes which helps you fight off infection and bacteria. Massage therapy can also improve skin hydration, helping you prevent the dryness you may suffer from during the winter months. A massage improves your mental focus and can help you get out of the winter doldrums while also improving your circulation. One of the best reasons for a massage during the winter? It can ease the aches, pains and numbness after a day of shoveling snow.

If you are concerned about your family’s health and well-being, there are now at-home wellness tests you can use to check for common illnesses. You can now find a home test to check your cholesterol levels, test for allergies and even for common sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. In some cases, you send a sample to a laboratory who returns results via regular mail or email. Other tests provide you with answers immediately.

Winter cold can lead to dry skin as can some types of heat which pull moisture out of the air. Dry skin can be very uncomfortable which is why you want to use products designed to keep your skin moist and supple during the winter. It is also important to use sunscreen even in the winter to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun.

With today’s hectic lifestyles, it is difficult to get the proper vitamins and minerals in our diet alone. We eat on the run, swallowing our dinner as we drive from one activity to another. We grab a carry-out meal on the way home from holiday shopping or a busy day at work because we are just too tired to cook. This can not only lead to a feeling of lethargy, especially in winter, but also can have a negative impact on our health. Adding vitamins to our diet can help prevent illness and give us that little boost of energy we need to get through the day.

In addition to vitamins, supplements can also help you remain healthy throughout the winter. Although supplements often contain vitamins, they also contain additional ingredients that are designed to promote health. They may contain natural appetite suppressants to help you lose weight or they may include something to improve skin, hair or teeth.

Winter is a time for comfort food that is often not very weight-loss friendly. Our bodies crave higher calories and additional fats in order to protect us from the cold. However, carrying extra weight can lead to additional health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Keeping the weight off during the winter will help you improve your overall health while also preparing you for beach and pool season.

In the winter, it gets dark very early, often before we even leave the office to head home. Once we arrive home after battling traffic or ice-covered roads, creating a healthy, hot meal is the last thing we want to do. However, you can now use meal delivery services that provide you with everything you need to make a delicious, hot meal in less than 30 minutes. There is no need to go grocery shopping and the delivery system provides you with a step-by-step recipe so your family gets to eat a hot meal in less than an hour.

The wind is blowing, the snow is falling and the only thing you can think about is curling up on the sofa in your pajamas. Before you do that, however, you want to keep your fitness goals in mind. It is easy in the winter months to blow off the gym, ignore the workout tapes under the television or shorten the dog’s walk. The fact is, winter is the best time to develop better workout habits. You can keep your gym clothes in the car and head there immediately after work. If you work out at home, put your workout clothing on the bed so you see it as soon as you get home and are less likely to ignore it.

Nothing lifts the winter doldrums like a vacation to a sunny location. Take a long weekend and head to Key West or Myrtle Beach where the weather remains warm most of the year. You could even plan an excursion to the Caribbean or the Gulf Coast of Mexico where it is always warm. The anticipation of lying on a beach in the sun when it is snowing and blowing at home will improve your spirits as much as the actual trip.