How to maintain a healthy lifestyle this winter
Feeling like turning on the TV and eating a bag chips or a block of chocolate as the nights draw in and temperatures drop? Staying on top of your health can be easy if you make a plan at the start of winter and have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. It’s easy to fall into the winter trap of limited exercise and consuming more quick, comforting convenience foods. However winter can be a great time to work on achieving the summer body you might never quite have attained, improving energy levels, focus and feeling vitalized.
Why is winter a good time for this? Summer is such a busy time with holidays, beers & barbecues which can make committing to dietary changes difficult. Across the winter months it is a time where you can get traction with dietary & exercise goals and feel empowered by achieving these.
Five top tips for getting focused this winter:
1. Set achievable goals. The all or nothing approach is one of the biggest influences for failing nutritional & exercise plans. Set smaller, more consistent and achievable goals and make these goals increasingly challenging as you achieve them each week.
2. Choose high nutrient quality foods for immunity & bowel health. Pharmaceuticals can be a tempting choice to bump up your nutrient intake over Winter. However, there are many benefits of focusing on consuming a diet high in seasonal fruit and vegetables instead. You can easily meet your required amount of antioxidants to fight off the common cold with having 2 serves of fruit and 3 or more serves of vegetables a day.
Aside from providing your body with essential vitamins for immunity, a diet high in vegetables provides prebiotics, fibre and fluid – a perfect combination to regulate gut function, keep you feeling full and sustain energy levels across the day.
3. Don’t over restrict your calories. There are many meal plans targeted at weight reduction that leave you feeling hungry, fatigued and lacking energy. Dietary change should leave you feeling satisfied and more energized. A good meal plan needs to include
all food groups and enough calories for you to exercise to your full potential & recover well between exercise sessions.
4. Try a short term exercise membership or hire a machine. The rain can be a great deterrent for exercise. Hiring a rowing machine, treadmill or exercycle over the winter months is a great way to watch your favourite tv series and get fit at the same time without having to leave the warmth of your house.
We are also lucky enough to have some local fabulous inside exercise facilities such as group fitness sessions, the swimming pool and gyms to keep you active over winter and most offer short term memberships. Aim for 3-4 sessions a week with 2 higher intensity sessions to keep fit over Winter and most importantly keep a record of your sessions to keep you motivated and on track
5. Rest well. Sleep is a key component to keeping well over winter. Many people mistake tiredness for hunger in the evening, leading to grazing before bed. Try going to bed earlier to avoid raiding the kitchen cupboards; you will feel less tired the next morning and make better food decisions the following days, helping you meet your winter nutrition goals and feel fabulous.