Winter is here, the season of cold weather and shorter days that is no one’s friend when it comes to living a healthy happy lifestyle. It does not have to be this way though, your health doesn’t have to be compromised due to the cold weather, there are plenty of tips out there that can help you avoid those winter blues. Keep on reading to find out some of my favourite tips I practice over winter.
- Meal prep: No matter what season it is committing to a healthier lifestyle requires time and effort, so my first tip for you is to plan and prepare some meals in advance. Start off by planning your meals for the week and head off to the grocery shop with a list of food you need. You can then batch cook a few meals, separate them into tupperware containers and keep them in the fridge or freezer for the week ahead. You could make a big salad or coleslaw to add to your meals during the week to ensure you’re eating enough veggies. You could even prepare a few snack options like boiled eggs, nuts and veggie sticks. However you choose to meal prep it’s going to save you time, money and dishes, it’s a win win.
- Invest in a slow cooker: Who doesn't love to come home at the end of a long day to a warm cosy house smelling of a delicious dinner waiting for you and your family? It involves one step preparation (my kind of cooking) and slow cooking time which helps to tenderize less-expensive cuts of meat and bring out the natural flavours of food. All you need is a source of protein, a mixture of starchy and non-starchy vegetables, fresh herbs and spices and VOILA a well-balanced meal that did all the cooking itself.
- Support your immune system: No one’s on top of their health game when they are curled up on the couch with a box of tissues and a cup of soup watching hours of Netflix. Fortunately there are many ways you can support your immune system to avoid that dreaded cold and flu. We want to be avoiding too much sugar which has a negative influence on our immunity and focusing on eating plenty of fruit and vege to increase our micro-nutrient intake. Vitamin C and Zinc are two very important nutrients for immune health so start thinking citrus fruits (kiwifruit, oranges, lemons etc.), green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, asparagus, Brussel sprouts etc.) and oysters, poultry & red meat. Another very important vitamin for immune health, is vitamin D, the sunlight vitamin. The best way to increase your vitamin D intake is get some good quality sun time, it can be as simple as having your lunch outside in the sun, or going for a walk on your lunch break.
- Exercise in the morning: We have all been there, it’s been a long day at work, you get home at 6pm, its already dark, your feeling tired, you decide I will miss it today and get back into it tomorrow. My advice to you is get your exercise done in the morning. This may mean you have to get to bed an hour earlier than usual but it will be well worth it. You will start your day feeling fresh and energised after a good hit of exercise endorphins and even better you won’t be worrying about how you’re going to squeeze some form of movement in after work.
Blog post written by Phoebe Smith: