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Staying fit and healthy during winter is not an easy task. What with the extreme cold conditions?
Many people would rather stay indoors to keep themselves warm and this encourages unhealthy practices. Here are some tips to help you maintain good shape and fitness in winter.
1. Exercise at home
Even when you spend most of your time at home during the winter, you can still find time to exercise. There are many exercises you can do from the comfort of your home without going to the gym.
Where possible invest in an exercise bike or a treadmill to facilitate your home-based workout sessions.
Exercising at home doesn’t have to be a huge investment. You can make use of what you already have. For instance, playing your favorite song and dancing the cold away can be a great way to lose some weight and keep fit.
If you have not yet tried yoga, winter is the perfect time to indulge in this activity. Buy a yoga mat, practice yoga, and enhance your mental and physical health benefits.
If you’re practicing yoga for the first time you can always learn from online videos.
2. Diet and Exercise Tips
With winter, come weather-related injuries. However, one of the biggest risks to your general health is paying little attention to work out and diet routines.
Winter falls around the holiday season when many people are overly busy buying and wrapping gifts or concluding their travel plans. Others will be on the run to complete pending tasks at work in readiness for the end of year festivities.
As such, only a few people remember their health practices. Combine this with the chilly weather and you’ll lack the motivation to go outdoors and exercise or head to the gym.
The more time you spend indoors the more you snack on unhealthy foods and keep piling up the weight. The results will be low self-esteem and a lack of happiness over time.
Maintaining a proper workout and diet routine is critical to keeping lifestyle-related diseases at bay.
Studies show that approximately 20% of people living in the USA suffer flu or cold each year. Winter increases the risk of contracting flu or cold more than any other season.
The following workout and diet tips will help you stay fit and healthy during the cold season.
· Counter Your Carb Cravings
Often, winter will make your body crave more comfort foods and carbs. These foods stimulate your serotonin levels and convince your brain that you’re happier.
With time, your cravings get stronger and can become uncontrollable if you don’t curb them. To counter this situation, eat a protein-rich breakfast. This will enhance your energy levels across the day.
If after this you still crave carbs and sweets, try consuming healthy low-fat snacks.
The best solution however would be establishing a way of enhancing your serotonin levels without consuming excess carbs.
· Don’t forget your Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 fatty acids are healthy fats that are naturally present in different types of food such as nuts, plant seeds, and fish.
These fatty acids contain natural anti-inflammatory properties that come in handy to reduce stiffness and joint pain.
According to research, omega 3 fatty acids help lower depression rampant during the winter season.
· Include Mushrooms in Your diet
Some mushroom species come with naturally occurring antibiotics which boosts your immune system.
These medicinal properties help your body fight off different types of illnesses.
Next time you go grocery shopping, remember to purchase different types of mushroom species such as shiitake and white button and incorporate them into your diet.
· Consume more Fiber
Soluble fiber available in different food sources such as nuts, oats, and apples is critical when it comes to reducing inflammation.
They are also ideal for promoting immune system functions. Soluble fiber comes in handy to reduce cholesterol levels in the body, putting diabetes at bay, and aiding weight loss.
Are you’re struggling with digestive system-related complications? Increasing your soluble fiber intake is ideal for relieving the situation.
· Increase your intake of Orange and Green Vegetables
Consuming orange and dark green fruits and vegetables is an ideal way of nourishing your body with healthy fats, sugars, and nutrients.
Some of these include spinach, Swiss chard, kale, squash, oranges, and carrots. All these foods are not only delicious during winter, but they will come in handy to keep you healthy.
Leverage on the numerous recipes available online to prepare delicious meals for you and your family.
· Incorporate Spices in Your Recipes
Different natural spices such as cilantro, ginger, garlic, and onions are great when to add flavor to your meals.
What’s more, they help enhance immune function and counter various conditions such as heart-related complications and inflammation. Other spices contain potent antioxidant properties.
3. Plan a Winter Camp Holiday
A winter camp holiday is a good way of putting winter blues at bay and reenergizing yourself. Planning a holiday, however, can be a daunting task but you don’t have to struggle with it.
What you’ll need is to get in touch with the winter camp organizers at Les Elfes and they’ll be glad to be of assistance.
Les Elfes lies in Verbier, one of the biggest ski resorts in Switzerland. Visiting Les Elfes during the winter is a great idea because the paths aren’t overly congested then.
What’s more, you get a chance to marvel at the beautiful surroundings, excellent restaurants, and snow-covered streets.
Verbier may be small, but it gives you one of the most thrilling experiences during your winter camp vacation.
Taking a winter camp vacation at Les Elfes is one of the best things you can do for you and your kids.
There are numerous activities you can engage in here which promote mental and physical workouts.
Les Elfes which has been in operation is home to more than 5,000 students per year. It’s a hub of activity throughout the year with summer camps being the most crowded.
If you dislike crowds, visiting during winter would be ideal.
· Ski and Field Trips
As we’ve seen before, being active during winter is one way to maintain fitness and good health.
The field and ski trips offered at Les Elfes are designed to help you maintain good shape even during the cold season.
At Les Elfes, safety is of utmost importance which is why you’ll get fully supervised trips throughout the year.
These are designed to incorporate educational ideas. The teachers at Les Elfes are not only well trained, but they are also experienced in their field.
Further, they usually attend refresher courses to ensure they are conversant with international safety standards and practices.
· Learn Skiing and Snowboarding
If you’re yet to learn how to ski, going for a winter camp vacation gives you the ideal opportunity to do so.
Strive to learn more winter-based sports before your vacation comes to an end. Remember, learning can be easy but mastering the skills will be a daunting task.
However, with regular practice and visiting the camp often during winter will help you enhance your skills.
· Will you Need Safety Gear?
Yes. Thankfully you can rent them at Les Elfes. This way, you don’t need to run from shop to shop in search of the ideal equipment.
· Learn a New Language
If you’re passionate about languages, then there various language course sessions offered at Les Elfes.
Enrolling your child for foreign language lessons at Les Elfes exposes the child to different cultures.
Further, it enables them to interact with other students from different parts of the world. Beware that they will learn a thing or two from one another.
4. Salt Walkways and Driveways
The formation of ice is one of the greatest threats to your security during winter. Salting your walkways and driveways regularly helps prevent injuries and boosts your safety.
If your home has outdoor stairs you should exercise extra caution to avoid slips and falls during extreme winter conditions.
Be careful when walking on snow too. Remember, the ground will be slippery most of the time and you could easily slide and fall.
5. Mental Health and Wellness Tips
Did you know that many people suffer from depression during winter? This condition can cause a deprivation of general mental health.
The onset of winter triggers sadness and depression in many people as a result of reduced levels of sunlight. This condition is more prevalent in women than it is in men.
Poor mental fitness can expose you to illness and stress, This explains why you need to pay extra attention to your health during winter.
There are different ways of improving your mental health and overall wellness as seen below.
· Wash Your Hands Frequently
Frequent hand washing across the day comes in handy to protect you and other people around you from cold and flu.
· Increase Your Vitamin Supplement Intake
Taking vitamin C supplements during winter helps your body to counter symptoms of flu and cold.
Vitamin D makes up for the lack of light experienced in winter. Remember to step out in the sun whenever it shows up to benefit from natural vitamin D.
This vitamin is particularly important because it facilitates the absorption of other vitamins and nutrients in the body. These include calcium, iron, and Vitamin A.
Finally
Whether you’re out on your winter camp vacation or at home, be sure to relax well and get sufficient sleep. Remember, your body gets accustomed to the shorter days and will need to sleep longer. Leverage the longer evenings to meditate and relax before you can finally retire to bed.
