Staying healthy and remaining active during winter is a difficult task.
Changing a couple of daily routines, such as taking the stairs instead of the lift, will help with staying healthy in winter and keeping off those unwanted kilos.
Research has revealed that more people suffer from heart disease in the winter compared to summer. There are many possible things that could contribute.
Some theories focus on our body’s hormonal response to colder weather. Another possibility is that we tend to cut back on our physical activity and eat less healthily in winter. This can also lead to weight gain in the winter months.
Exercising in the winter and keeping activate during the colder months is essential. If you can’t go for your usual run or walk, you need to increase your activity during the rest of the day.
Here are a few ideas to keep you going despite the bad weather:
- Take the stairs, not the lift.
- Do some exercises in your house, playing music to make it more fun. Get the children involved, they might even teach you an exercise or two.
- Use an aerobics, dance or zumba DVD to motivate you, you can even get some workouts online.
- Try yoga, Pilates or stretching exercises in the lounge.
- Skipping rope for even just 10 minutes is a good workout.
- Do some hands-on housework to get your heart pumping.
- Take up an indoor sport like action cricket, squash or indoor soccer. You don’t need to be a member at a club, pay as you go and join a friend for a game once in a while.
- Use every sunny day in the winter to get out there and enjoy the break in the weather.
Eating healthily during winter is another factor to consider if you are trying to lose weight. Here are some tips to make your winter food heart and weight friendly:
- Make sure to bulk up winter stews with seasonal vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, leek and your root vegetables like carrots, squash and sweet potatoes. The more vegetables you eat, the less starchy and fatty food you will have space for. This also adds extra fibre to the meal.
- You can also use legumes to add to meat dishes to reduce the fat content of the meal, add heart-healthy fibre. This makes you fuller and stretch the budget. Red kidney beans are perfect for bolognaise.
- Eat winter fruits like oranges, other citrus, and guavas. Guavas are very high in fibre and vitamin C which makes them perfect for winter.
- Make your own pot of soup over the weekend and use it during the week for easy healthy lunches or as a winter snack. Soup is warm, filling and can be an easy way to increase your vegetable and fibre intake.
- Adapt your winter comfort food to make it healthier. Use less bacon in a soup or a casserole. Use evaporated milk instead of cream in dishes. Replace fried chips or pastry with baked or mash potato.
- If you get a chocolate craving, make your own hot chocolate with cocoa powder, sweetener and skim milk. This cuts down on the kilojoules from fat and sugar.
Information courtesy of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. @Bedfordedenvale
