Optimising Health For Winter: after better energy, immunity, fertility, perimenopause....? We've got you and your family covered 🫶🏼

Aug 11
5 min read

With these shorter and cold days, our bodies naturally shift gears. Winter places extra demands on the immune system, metabolism, and hormonal balance- making it the perfect time to proactively support your health.

Whether you’re trying to conceive, navigating perimenopause, or simply aiming to feel your best and reduce your risk of infection, the foundations are remarkably similar: nourish your body, stabilise hormones, and strengthen resilience.

Let’s break it down into practical, science-backed strategies.

1. Immune System First: Your Winter Foundation

Your immune system doesn’t just “turn on” when you get sick—it reflects how you’ve been living for weeks or months.

Key Focus Areas:

Vitamin D: With less sunlight exposure in winter, levels often drop. This affects immunity, mood, and hormone function.
Iron: Iron deficiency anaemia not only compromises your energy, it also reduces your capacity to fight off infection.
Zinc & vitamin C: Crucial for immune defence and also important for reproductive health.
Gut health: Did you know that around 70% of your immune system lives in your gut? Keeping your gut microbes happy is one of the most important factors for overall immune resilience.

Practical Tips:

Get your vitamin D levels, iron and general bloods tested and supplement if needed. Note: testing before supplementation is important, as excess levels of these nutrients can be toxic.
Get sunlight when you can, but it's important to note that we don't have enough access to UV rays (even on sunny days!) to produce adequate vitamin D in winter in Australia's southern states.
Eat immune-supportive foods: citrus, garlic, ginger and quality proteins.
Eat iron and zinc- slow cooking red meat makes it more digestible and warming for the winter months, but also improves iron and zinc bioavailability so your immune system can benefit. Cook with warming herbs and spices (see Rhiannon's Chilli Con Carne recipe below).
Include fermented foods (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, etc) and diverse plant foods for fibre for gut health.

Time for some individualised immune support?

Organise Your Blood Tests Now

Get your bloods tested before your appointment so you're all set to go with your naturopath!

2. Hormone Balance: The Common Thread

Hormones influence everything- energy, mood, metabolism, fertility, sleep.... you name it, hormones are involved! That's why we're obsessed with them ;)

Why It Matters:

If you're trying to conceive, balanced hormones support ovulation, egg quality, sperm quality, and embryo implantation
If you're in perimenopause, hormone fluctuations can cause fatigue, weight changes, mood swings, poor sleep and disrupted immunity.

Core Strategies:

Blood sugar stability: Prevents insulin spikes that disrupt hormones in males and females.
Healthy fats: Essential for hormone production.
Stress management: Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which interferes with reproductive hormones. With the longer nights, more sleep can be possible. Lean into it!

Practical Tips:

Eat balanced meals: protein + healthy fats + plant fibre + complex carbs.
Avoid skipping meals or relying on sugar/caffeine.
Include healthy fats. Think fatty fish (we like NZ King Ōra salmon & sardines for low-mercury/antibiotic options), avocados, extra virgin olive oil, nuts & seeds, and organic red meat, chicken and fish. Did you know that organic, grass fed animal protein has higher omega 3 fats and lower proinflammatory fats? Always choose grass fed, and buy organic if when you can).
Get your hormones tested properly so individualised care can help you to get the best results.

3. Perimenopause: Supporting the Transition

Perimenopause can begin years before menopause, often in your late 30s or 40s. Winter can amplify symptoms like fatigue, low mood, and poor immunity.

Common Signs:

Brain fog
Sleep disturbance
Increased anxiety or irritability, especially premenstrually
Heavier or lighter periods
Muscle aches and pains, increased injuries
Irregular cycles (one of the later signs!)
Hot flushes.... usually a very late sign!

What Helps:

Protein intake: Supports muscle, metabolism, and blood sugar.
Magnesium, melatonin, specific nutrients & herbs: To aid sleep, mood, and stress response.
Strength training: Helps maintain bone density and metabolic health.
Hormone therapy: We're fans of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), and we're here to support you to integrate it as part of your health plan when the time is right.

Practical Tips:

Prioritise early nights with the longer dark hours. The quality of sleep we have in the early of the night is considered to be preferential to that later.
Lean into warming, nourishing meals- think soups, stews, and slow-cooked foods that are easier to digest and comforting to the nervous system.
A high quality collagen powder. Did you know women and AFABs lose 30% of their collagen within 5 years of menopause? Getting in early with hormone support, adequate protein intake & quality collagen supplements all reduce this loss.
Get your hormones tested properly so individualised care can help you to get the best results. We've been doing this for years, and we're here to help you interpret your results and get you back on track.

Want to test your hormones and have them reviewed by one of our nationally-renowned expert hormone & fertility naturopaths?

Learn More About Hormone Testing

4. Trying to Conceive: Preparing Your Body

Preconception health is about creating the best possible environment for a healthy pregnancy- from both partners.

Key Priorities, for males and females:

Nutrient density: Folate, iron, zinc, selenium, iodine, choline, and B vitamins.
Address inflammation: Chronic inflammation negatively impacts fertility.
Support detox pathways: Liver health is crucial for hormone balance.
Address stress: Stress can affect hormones and fertility in a number of ways.
Optimising immunity over winter: Immune imbalance negatively affects fertility outcomes in multiple ways.
Limit (ideally avoid) alcohol.
Reduce exposure to toxins (plastics, pesticides).
Prioritise sleep and stress reduction.

Want to know more?

View Our Free Preconception Care Guide

5. Sleep & Stress: The Hidden Drivers

You can eat perfectly and still struggle if sleep and stress are neglected.

Why They Matter:

Poor sleep weakens immunity.
High stress disrupts hormones (including oestrogen and progesterone in females and testosterone in males).

Practical Tips:

Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep.
Get your nutrition and exercise right: Eating complex carbs in the evening as part of a balanced meal helps to lower cortisol levels, allowing for better sleep. Giving yourself time to digest before bed and exercising during the day are also significantly associated with better sleep outcomes.
Create a wind-down routine (dim lights, reduce screen time for an hour before bed).
Try calming practices: Meditations, sleep stories, yoga, reading (a book!)... there are many apps these days to help you to implement these!
If sleep is still a struggle for you, consult with one of our naturopaths to explore factors, herbs and supplements that will be best suited to you.

6. Movement: Not Too Much, Not Too Little

Exercise supports immunity and hormones- but balance is key.

What Works Best:

Strength training (2–3/week): Supports metabolism and hormone health.
Low-intensity movement: Walking, stretching, yoga.
Cardiovascular training: 1-2/week to maintain heart health and fitness.
Avoid overtraining: Especially if you're fatigued or hormonally imbalanced.

Practical Tips:

If you're struggling to get into exercise due to mind set or physical challenges, or wondering if you've got your training balance right? Nat can help you.

Healthy bodies are made all year round! Exercise your way through winter to support immunity, healthy weight, fertility and healthy aging.

Have you met Nat, our resident exercise physiologist & Pilates instructor?