Give Yourself a Nutrition Boost This Winter

Make some changes early this winter to help you through the coldest months of the season

If the idea of one more freezing run or another hour on the treadmill makes you want to chuck your running shoes and order an extra-large pizza instead, you’re not alone. Cold weather can make you prone to over-eating, and heading out the door for a winter run can sometimes feel downright depressing, New Year’s resolutions be damned. With that, here’s how you can shake up your nutrition to give yourself a boost of motivation this winter.

Overall

It’s tempting to over-eat during winter, so you may want to log what – and how much – you eat for a week to get a snapshot of your total intake and macronutrient breakdown. If you’re not getting enough protein, it’s easy to feel like you’re not recovering from training runs, and higher sugar or alcohol consumption (common in winter) also contribute to the winter blahs.

Whole Foods

Swap out salads for stews. It’s hard to get psyched about salad when it’s freezing out, but that’s no excuse to skip vegetables. Toss those wilted greens, herbs and other sad vegetables languishing in your fridge and freezer into a slow cooker with some bone broth for a fast, nutrient-dense stew. Embrace seasonal vegetables, such as brussels sprouts, leeks, mushrooms and onions. You may not normally eat heart and liver, which may sound cringe-inducing, but they’re packed with iron and vitamins B, K, E and A. Flavourful stews are a great way to disguise uber-healthy offal (a.k.a. organ meats). You can mix organ meats into standard ground beef or chicken meatballs and you won’t taste a difference.

Make it social with a soup swap. Grab your running buddies and have everyone make a huge batch of their favourite stew, such as a turkey chili or kale and white bean soup, then bag the servings and trade. This way, you get 10 times the meals while only making one. Bonus: it’s a social activity with your running friends during winter.

Smoothies

Skip overindulgences like fancy coffee or mixed drinks this season and turn your post-run smoothies into fantasy drinks instead of your typical proteinpowder based recipes. Introducing new ingredients ensures that you’re getting a full range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Think pumpkin spice with pumpkin purée (packed with vitamin A), cinnamon, nutmeg and a scoop of vanilla protein powder plus ice. How about a piña colada recovery shake with coconut milk (healthy fats), ice, pineapple (high in vitamin C) and a berry collagen protein. Add a handful of dark leafy greens for bonus vitamin K and iron ( low iron can leave you feeling fatigued).

Vitamins

It might be tempting to start taking every supplement on the market to make yourself feel peppier, but don’t fall into the “supplements solve everything” trap. Before popping more pills, get bloodwork done to see if you should be adding something like an iron or B12 supplement. That said, there are a few vitamins and minerals that will help most athletes, including zinc and vitamin C to boost your physical health (like not catching a cold) and mood.

Your nutrition has the power to change how you’re feeling physically and mentally. Use that to your advantage this season so that when the spring thaw comes, you’re ready for it!