We all know that feeling of the winter blues. Short daylight hours give us the impression that there’s not enough time to fit everything into our days and motivation levels are often at an all time low. However, a little bit of structure and a few tweaks to your daily habits can go a long way. 

Nutrition is king when it comes to feeling good throughout the colder months. How we fuel our bodies can stabilise our mood and strengthen our immunity. Also, cooking and eating good food with a housemate or partner can feel so rewarding. Below are a few tips that will help keep you on track.

• Make an effort to get creative with your cooking at home. You then know what ingredients are going onto your plate and putting in the effort to create a meal makes us appreciate the final product a little more. Try doubling your recipe so you can freeze the extra servings as back up meals for busy days.
• Don’t skip meals, this increases likelihood that you’ll grab whatever you can get your hands on, rather than something nutritious.
• Make weekday breakfasts the night before. Then if you’re in a hurry, you have a healthy meal in the fridge to grab and go. 
• Make sure you’re getting all your essential vitamins and minerals to ensure your immune systems is functioning at full capacity. A couple star players are vitamin C and zinc. Vitamin C is an important antioxidant, required for the biosynthesis of collagen and improves absorption of plant based (non-heme) iron. Zinc is not only key for the immune system, but also supports the body’s metabolic functions.
• Try to avoid excess sugar and chose low sugar content foods. We all know the downward spiral of the sugar hit/ sugar crash. To avoid this, replace sugary treats with other types of treats. That might be a relaxing bath, a manicure, or whatever else floats your boat. 
• When preparing food, make sure to include lots of delicious, but healthy fats in your meals and snacks. This will help you stave off sugar cravings. Some good additions are nuts, avocado, chia seeds, olives, MCT oil (try this in your coffee), and nut butters. 
• Consider supplementing with essential vitamins, like Ener-C Multivitamin Drink Mix. Vitamins are organic compounds your body needs to perform all of its essential function – like regulating metabolism and maintaining and healthy immune system. 

Regular exercise is also going to give you a solid lifestyle boost throughout the winter. It’s quite the ‘chicken and the egg’. It takes motivation to exercise, but once you start exercising, your motivation levels will be boosted. The best way to get around this conundrum – start now!

• During the week days, get you’re exercise done first thing in the morning, before work and life commitments get the better of you. The short days also make it harder to motivate in the evenings. 
• Embrace the winter! Layer up and get outside, the fresh air does wonders for your mood. 
• Make outdoor dates with your friends. Schedule in a walk, run, or hike. Maybe you get adventurous and go for a snowshoe, skate on a lake, or ski tour on the weekend. When you’ve made a commitment to meet someone else, it’s harder to opt out of your plan. 

+These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.