Staying Healthy During Winter

It seems no matter what age you are, winter invetable seems to bring three things; colder weather (provided you stay in this hemisphere), everyone getting sick, and loads of stress.

The third one seems to be inescapable, when I was in school it was midterms, when I was in college it was finals, and now that I'm an "adult" it seems I'm still extra loaded with work this time of year.

Anyway, why do I mention all this? Because one of the most important things to me is making sure to eat healthy and winter is the time where every nutrient counts. During summer it always feels "easier" to eat healthy. Even with cook outs, ice cream, and more ice cream around every corner summer has always been universally when people get healthiest. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the weather outside being nice, fresh fruit and vegetables in season, not to mention bathing suit season!

However, during winter it seems I'm being extra strict on myself to not only stay away from the bad stuff (and I LOVE the bad stuff) but also FORCING myself to make sure to eat the good stuff. Extra long days are par for the course in my line of work, and a half hour for lunch is a luxury that's seldom afforded. That's why I really try to live by the motto of "one healthy choice at a time".

I think when we are keeping tabs on our nutrition we tend to look at the big picture way to much. Too often we are busy planning our healthy dinner for when we get home that we forget that we need to be eating a nutritious snack or a balanced lunch.

That's the other thing...don't starve yourself!!!

It might seem funny to think the hardest part of any eating plan isn't eating less, it's eating more. Now full disclosure, I'm not a doctor and you should be consulting your health professional before starting any kind of diet or exercise change. That being said, personally eating small portions throughout the day is what keeps me well fueled. It prevents me from being in a fog and unfocused from hunger but at the same time prevents me from feeling lethargic like I do from a larger meal. Obviously I make sure to eat lots of fruits and vegetables and lean proteins.

So why all the talk about proper eating, well speaking personally when the temperature is freezing and I'm standing waiting for a press conference, or when I have a slew of deadlines to meet and not enough time to catch up, keeping my immune system strong is absolutely key. The last thing I can want to happen is to feel run down, fatigued, or worse of all flat out sick, when I have a full plate (of work). It's tempting to scarf down some sweets from one of the ever present plate of cookies, or get some greasy fast food for lunch, or just say "no time to eat", however you must resist. When it's cold your body is burning more calories than ever to stay warm, so it's most important to feed it healthy stuff.

When the weather changes, get plenty of this stuff, and if the prep work and effort is scaring you away, go with a cost effective bag of frozen veggie mix. Avoid the temptation to nosh on sweets and simple carbs, and instead eat something with plenty of fiber or lean protein. Both with keep you full, and the latter even has an added bonus.

Also make sure to keep an excercise routine during the cold months and stick to it. Yes, I know it's cold. Yes, I know there is a new episode of House on TV. Yes, I know you're tired. Doesn't matter!

Force yourself!

Going with a friend helps, just make sure they have similar goals and will motivate you instead of encouraging your slacking.

This is all common sense but it's something I have to tell myself as each season changes. It's easy to fall into bad habits. I'm sure most of you have equally (if not more) stressful throughout the day, so that's why you have to make sure to fuel yourself in the best way possible. Just take it one smart choice at a time (mine was getting a sugar free protein bar instead of some toquitos at 7-11), and you will see that you will not only roar through the winter better than ever before, you might come into spring looking a whole lot better than you expected also!

By the way, anyone looking to start keeping track of their nutrition I highly recommend either About.com's Calorie Counter or My Fitness Pal. Both have a lot of tools to set up nutrition plan quickly and easily, and have the added bonus of having nice smart phone apps (which are free!).