At the time of writing this post, it’s winter. And while it’s absolutely beautiful in our New England hometown with the snow + outdoor pond skating + visiting winter animals (the deer + cardinals are our favorites!), winter is undoubtedly the dreariest, coldest, wettest season of the year for most parts of the northern hemisphere… which is why it’s more important than ever to get fresh air.
Especially in the coldest + rainiest month of your year – challenge yourself to get outside.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the indoor air in the United States is 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air. So it makes sense that it seems like everyone around us is sick during the winter — because they are!
When you stay inside more, you aren’t taking in the cleaner oxygen. Our immune systems need clean oxygen to refresh our hardworking white blood cells. Simple as that.
Beyond immunity, fresh air has proven to boost energy for 90% of people. Odds are that fresh air can help you transition away from an extra cup of coffee (or even having one at all), which has so many other benefits, too.
We challenge ourselves to get outside more as we transition out of winter. Getting better quality outdoor air keeps us drinking less coffee, maintaining more energy + continuing to protect our household’s immunity while we step into the springtime business season as parent CEOs.
Join us in daily outdoor walks + tag us on Instagram (@OrganicFamilyCEO) so we can follow along with you.
4 Easy Ways to Get More Fresh Air
No. 1 – Play fetch
One of our rescue dogs, Dunkin, is half St. Bernard. He would stay outside all winter if we let him. We used to get frustrated with the snow + mud he’d drag in the house (if we could get him into the house at all) + then all the laundry that’d come after his romps.
[Related: How to Choose a Family Dog]
But, instead, we’ve chosen to embrace it. Dunkin in the snow is an example of living your best life. He is so freaking happy in the mess of the New England weather. Everyone else is grumping around + he is frolicking.
So every afternoon, once our baby is down for their nap, we grab a tennis ball — his toy of choice — dress for the weather + live Dunkin’s best life with him before we settle into our naptime workflow. It’s 10 undistracted minutes of quality time, tires him out + gets our energy up.
The best part of this method was that after only 2 days of playing fetch at the same time of day, Dunkin started holding us accountable.
That saying “once is a habit” is true of many dogs (even ones that aren’t naturally cold-weather loving). Try anchoring some sort of play with your pet outside — even if you have to bribe with treats — because they’ll likely pick up the habit + maintain it much faster than us humans will!
No. 2 – Open the windows
On the days where temperatures rise enough to feel “warm” in comparison to the previous days, turn off the heat + throw open the windows.
We’re writing this post on a random 48°F day after a series of -10°F windchill temperatures. The family has an extra layer of clothing on + the windows are open. It feels incredible!
We feel like our hardworking heating system deserves a break for a few hours + if we need to take a chill off, we use one of those heated electric throw blankets like this one (just don’t use these if you’re currently pregnant!).
No. 3 – Roll into naptime
Do errands that time up with a return home around baby’s nap time + drive home with the front windows down halfway.
No. 4 – Walk or run
We’re a big proponent of helping babies to sleep with motion. With or without your baby in-tow, good old-fashioned walking or running does a parent good.
If you are bringing your baby along, consider investing in a stroller bunting.
The stroller bunting was one of the best purchases we made. Ours is this one from Bugaboo, but check the compatibility with your stroller.
Share with us: how will you get fresh air this winter?
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