Feeling the cold lately? The winter months are notorious for being the time of year when it’s easy to stack on the pounds. There are just heaps of excuses that come to mind when you think of going for your usual early morning run when it’s freezing outside. Not to mention, the cold often makes us crave hot, and perhaps not-so-healthy alternatives to what may be a usually well regimented diet plan. The good news is that it is completely possible to stay healthy and fit all year round - even if it means making a few small adjustments to your routine!
Go Straight To The Gym From Work
We all know that the cold makes you feel fatigue like nothing else - so don’t get home and lie on that bed, because you will not end up moving for the rest of the evening! However, if you pack your gym clothes in your bag and head for your workout straight from the office - you aren’t giving yourself a chance to chicken out of it.
Be Careful With What Drinks You Choose
Winter is the time you’re most likely to be craving warm coffees, hot chocolates, mulled wine and all those delicious drinks that fill you with warmth. Since you’re likely to increase your intake of them, make sure you are choosing the healthiest options possible - skimmed milk, no sugars, etcetera.
Make A Deal With A Friend
It’s heaps easier to stick with a decision when you’re being held accountable - so get together with a close friend or family member and help each other meet your goals for this season. If you don’t have someone else on board, use your diary to write down specific goals so that you feel accomplished when you get to tick off that you did your daily workout, or ate your 2 servings of veggies for the day.
Get Creative With Your Workouts
If you know that a 5k run isn’t on the cards for today, that’s fine - find an alternative. If you have kids, playing with them is the perfect way to burn calories without even realising what you are doing! Purchasing playground equipment for your yard is one way to ensure you’re getting outside and moving with your little ones. You can even get really creative with this - you don’t have to stick to conventional playthings! For example, blow up an inflatable water slide and have heaps of fun with your kids all afternoon - you’ll hardly notice the cold. Staying fit is so much more fun when you keep your routine fresh!
Women’s nutritionist Tori Blake shares a few of her tips on how to stay well and healthy during winter below:
“Winter is now upon us, and with it comes the usual suspects: dark mornings, evening showers, wavering motivation to get moving outside, and bouts of the flu. Keeping all this in mind, there are some great practices we can adopt to keep ourselves well and healthy during the winter months.
1) Eat Well
While it’s always important to eat lots of seasonal and locally produced fruits and vegetables, this becomes even more important in the winter months when we really need good nutrition to boost our immune system. Choose from a wide array of colours for a variety of different antioxidants, and try roasting vegetables or adding them to a soup for a warm and hearty dish.
2) Move Well
Don’t let the cold and wet weather deter you from being physically active. Daily movement is important for our physical health (lowering blood pressure, and aiding with weight maintenance and muscle tone), as well as our mental and psychological health. Incorporating daily movement can be great stress relief, and improves quality of sleep.
3) Sleep Well
Poor sleep can result in negative health outcomes such as poor concentration, lack of energy, fatigue, mood swings and over eating. Maintain good sleep habits throughout winter by turning off all screens at least one hour prior to bed, maintain a comfortable sleeping environment (dark and appropriate temperature), and aim for at least 7-8 hours of quality shut-eye.
To find out more fantastic tips from Tori, check out her website, Tori Blake Nutritionist, where she shares her expert advice.
There you have it - the winter months are no excuse to get out of shape! So follow these simple tips and tricks to stay trim and fit. Just remember to keep things simple, a workout can be as simple as dancing around with your family! Here’s to hoping you are now inspired to stick to your fitness plan over the next few months.
