The Essential Guide to Winter Wellness

To help everyone stay on track with positive lifestyle choices through the winter, we've put together 'The Essential Guide to Winter Wellness' containing tips and advice that will ensure great health and energy for December, January and February, and also guarantee that 2014 gets off to a flying start.

Boost Your Immunity for Winter

Winter is the prime time for coughs and colds, so make sure you eat plenty of leafy green vegetables and fruit that is packed with vitamin C. Blueberries, blackberries, broccoli, green cabbage, spinach, raspberries, tangerines and grapefruit are all great sources of vitamin C.

Stay Hydrated All Year Round

It may be cold outside but indoor heating can leave you feeling tired and sluggish.  Make sure you continue to drink your 2-litres of water a day. You may not fancy water in the colder weather, so experiment with green tea, Red Bush or peppermint tea.  Good hydration will boost energy in all weathers.

Stay Warm While Staying in Shape

Beware those warming coffees don't cause your weight to creep up.  When choosing your hot drinks, bear in mind that a grande full fat milk latte contains 220 calories, 11g of fat and 4 teaspoons of sugar.  A grande skimmed milk latte contains no fat, which means a saving of 90 calories per drink.  A grande Americano has no fat, no sugar and only contains calories if you add milk.  Make your choices wisely.

Beat Winter Blues

Lack of sunshine and daylight can have a profound effect on our emotions. For some people, this causes low mood, irritability and lack of energy during autumn and winter. Winter depression, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), affects women more than men. Symptoms include a lack of interest in socialising, daytime sleepiness, a craving for starchy foods and an increased need for sleep. Seek daylight where you can and remember that exercise is the perfect way to boost mood because it releases your body's natural feel-good hormones. 

Modify Your Winter Workouts

No matter how good your exercise routine is during the summer, it’s likely that you’ll need to modify your approach during the winter.  Even if you’re a gym regular, the thought of getting there in the cold and dark can be enough to put you off your workout.  If you’re more used to exercising outside you’ll definitely need to come up with some alternatives during adverse weather.  It’s best to acknowledge that your summer routine will need some changes and be creative with your alternatives. 

Focus on indoor activities when the weather is really bad – a quick circuit routine at home would be great – and aim to get outside when you can.  Put the emphasis on shorter, higher intensity workouts to save time and make firm plans for when you’ll fit your exercise sessions in.  Be clear on where you want to end up with your fitness levels and body shape come the Spring, and you’ll be diligent about sticking to your schedule one way or another, regardless of how cold, wet, dark or snowy it is outside.

Sleep Well, but Don’t Hibernate

Our regular advice is to be as consistent as possible with your sleep routine but the one caveat to this is just check whether or not you might need a small adjustment to your routine for the period when the clocks have changed.  Fewer hours of daylight and a shift to winter weather conditions may mean that you need a little more shut eye each night than in the summer.  Experiment to find the best bedtime and wake time for your routine both for winter and the summer.  But remember, the shift will likely be a small one and don’t be tempted to change the routine dramatically as too much sleep can be as bad for us as too little.  Once you’ve established the routine for each season, stick to it, regularly.

Remember, Christmas Should Be Fun So Make A Plan To Enjoy It

December can be a particularly busy month for work events and social gatherings, but attend everything and you’ll be exhausted.  Be selective about what you say yes to and plan in advance what you’ll be eating and how much alcohol you’ll drink at each event and over the course of each week.  Blindly hoping that you can get through the festive season intact is a risky strategy and could leave you in need of a rest in January, whereas a bit of planning will see you through Christmas and New Year feeling balanced and in control, and will dramatically increase your enjoyment of the whole period.

Get Ahead for 2014

If you anticipate you’ll be making healthy lifestyle changes for next year, get ahead of the game by ensuring one positive action each day, starting today, to help you feel good and optimise your energy.  Beginning the New Year already on the road to great healthy results is a very positive place to be.