❄️ Winter Wellness Tools for a Stronger, Healthier You
- Dr Anupa Dharamsi
- Jun 9, 2025
- 3 min read
Winter Is Here – Let's Thrive, Not Just Survive
Kia ora friends,
As winter settles in across Aotearoa, our bodies naturally crave warmth, rest, and grounding. But colder months also bring challenges — stiff joints, low energy, immune dips, and the temptation to hibernate a little too hard.
I believe your health can thrive in winter, with the right tools. Below are body-loving practices to support your spine, your nervous system, and your whole being this season.
🔥 1. Warm Up the Spine — Literally
Stiffness often spikes in colder weather. A 2013 study published in Clinical Rheumatology found that people with rheumatoid arthritis were more likely to experience flares during periods of lower temperature — though I'll note the wider research on weather and joint pain is genuinely mixed, so this isn't universal for everyone.
Tools:
Use a heat pack on your lower back or upper shoulders for 10–15 minutes each evening to encourage blood flow and muscle relaxation.
Gentle spinal movement in the morning — think cat-cow, spinal twists, or a 5-minute walk around the block — can help reset your nervous system and reduce tension.
🌬️ 2. Breathe Better to Stress Less
Shorter daylight hours and the winter "slump" can affect mood, and cold stress can activate your sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight). Deep breathing is one of the few tools that can help regulate this on demand — I write more about the mechanism in
Tool: Try Box Breathing → Inhale for 4 seconds → Hold for 4 → Exhale for 4 → Hold for 4 Repeat for 4 rounds in the morning or before sleep.
This kind of paced breathing has been associated with lower cortisol and a calmer nervous system response (Harvard Health).
🍲 3. Nourish to Stay Resilient
Your immune system is your ally during winter. Nutrient-dense food supports your body's ability to adapt and heal.
Tools:
Load up on root vegetables, ginger, turmeric, leafy greens, and bone broth — all warming and nourishing.
Add in vitamin D (sunlight is scarce in winter), either through food (eggs, mushrooms) or supplementation — consult your GP or chiro on dosage. I've written more on this in Vitamin D: Why New Zealanders Are Deficient.
A well-known 2017 meta-analysis published in the BMJ found vitamin D supplementation modestly reduced the risk of acute respiratory infections — genuinely useful to know heading into flu season, particularly if your levels tend to run low.
🧘♀️ 4. Prioritise Restorative Sleep
Cold weather is nature's invitation to rest deeply. A regular sleep rhythm supports spinal healing, immune strength, and emotional resilience.
Tools:
Keep a warm wind-down routine: herbal tea, stretching, a hot shower or bath before bed.
Limit screens at least 30 minutes before sleep — blue light disrupts melatonin production.
🌿 5. Chiropractic Care = Winter Self-Care
Adjustments help your body adapt better to seasonal stressors — whether they're physical (tight muscles), emotional (mood shifts), or chemical (nutrition or environmental changes). This connects to the same Three T's of Subluxation I talk about often.
Staying on track with care means your nervous system stays clear and communicative, so you get to enjoy winter without the usual aches and energy dips.
Let's Stay Connected
If you've been feeling a bit out of balance or want extra support this winter, I'm here. You can book your next adjustment easily online, or take the Nervous System Regulation Quiz if you're not sure where to start.
Stay warm, stay well, and be kind to yourself.
Ngā mihi,
Anupa
Handcrafted Chiropractic | Māngere, South Auckland
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