Beating the Winter Blues

Every year we know it’s coming, the days start to get shorter, the nights are cooler, and the mornings get harder to get up. You start to see your neighbour’s stacking firewood and think that maybe you should have ordered yours by now. But if you’re like me you are holding out in a type of denial that winter is not coming. Eventually however after seeing who got knighted or became Dames, we accept the reality and get ready for winter.

In New Zealand it’s not too bad, I mean Alaska doesn’t even see the sun for most of their winter, and although the New Zealand’s sun might as well be a lightbulb for the lack of heat it gives in winter, its still not to bad. To help with the winters blues I want to give you my thoughts and methods on how to cope with and survive the winter blues.

So let’s talk about health and how things can affect you and what you can do about it. Firstly, the myth that colds and flus are more rampant in winter is not quite true, yes, we are more susceptible during these months but that’s mainly due to the fact we are more likely to be indoors with others and less likely to be outside in the fresh air. So, a lot of cold and flu bugs lurk around the office or worst public transport waiting to jump to the next victim. One of the good things that came from the recent Covid era was a raised sense of awareness around preventing infection and spreading bugs. In the old days we had this silly attitude of “she’ll be right”, or “soldier on”etc. However, these days it’s better to stay home to reduce the spread of bugs. If of course you have school aged kids, this risk can be elevated as kids are basically petrie dishes of infection. This is ok and part of their normal immunity boosting growth, however it’s dam annoying to parents and other family members.

So, what can we do about it? Personally, I avoid public transport like the plague and could count on one hand the number of times I’ve caught a bus or train, but if this is your only option there is some things you can do. Avoid touching your face or nose during your journey. A lot of bugs linger on surfaces so grabbing a pole or the back of a seat then scratching your nose can pass on the bug. Be like Jason Bourne and be situationally aware. On the times I have been on a bus or even going into crowded areas I am looking around to see if there are obvious sick people, and make moves to keep clear, I am also not shy about getting up and changing seats if an obviously sick person sits next to me, hey I hate being sick so will do whatever I can to avoid and don’t care if it offends anyone lol. Use hand sanitiser frequently, and wash hands. We all learned how important this was in recent years, but if you have sensitive skin there are some great Ecoya products that aren’t as tough on skin.

Flu jabs, whilst I have never personally had one of these, trusting my health and fitness, I do see their value especially if you have other health issues or vulnerable to infection. They can be great for some people and if you benefit from these please continue to get.

Also, very important if you have love ones who may be at risk.

Ultimately like anything to do with your health it should always be a personal choice. As far as the flu jab is concerned it has been around for some time and has had vigorous testing and many years of history so is generally ok, but please seek advice, and do your own research.

I will say that the human body develops immunity by getting sick and I often worry that our dependency on vaccinations and other medicines has lowered or diminished our ability to fight infection.

A lot has been written about overuse of antibiotics for example lowering their efficiency. But I encourage you to do your own research and speak to your GP before making any decisions on medications weighing up all potential side effects. Like with the recent Covid vaccinations it should always be about choice and doing what you feel is right for you after weighing up all the evidence.

Immunity boosting foods and a healthy diet are by far the best line of defence. As of writing this I haven’t heard of any cure for the common cold, but I do know that eating healthy foods, getting plenty of green vegetables and fruit plays a big role in reducing the symptoms and duration of colds and flu’s. Having the odd takeaway is not going to cause too much of a problem but it should only be on a rare occasion. Most of your eating, 85%, should be healthy balanced meals with plenty of green vegetables like broccoli, spinach, sliver beet, kale, and all the other great options. I personally have smoothies and hot lemon drinks daily as regular immunity boosting guard against anything and at the writing of this I have not had Covid or the flu even for over 20 years. I have included the recipes for these here.

Miles’s morning lemon drink

• 1 x tablespoon apple cider vinegar

(get the good organic one)

• Juice of one lemon

• 1 x teaspoon of honey

(I use manuka, but a blend is fine)

• I also add a bit of grated ginger in the winter

but up to you

Poor 250ml boiling water in and enjoy

Miles’s morning berry smoothie

· 1 x cup frozen berries (I use blueberries)

· 1 x ½ cup coconut water

· 1 x teaspoon honey or maple syrup

· ¼ cup of raw oats

· 1 x Banana

· 1 x Cup of plant-based milk (I use oat milk)

· 1 x Scoop of plant-based protein powder (I use berry flavour)

· 1 x tablespoon chia seeds

Blast in the Nutri bullet for 30-45secs

Green Juice

· ½ cup of coconut water

· 65g plain Greek yoghurt

· 125g kale

· 125g spinach

· ½ cucumber sliced

· 65 g broccoli

· 65g chopped celery

· 65g green grapes

· 65 g diced apple

· 250g pineapple chunks

· Handful of ice cubes

Blast in the blender till ready

These are some great ideas to get a lot of nutrients on the go and I would recommend incorporating one of these daily.

Regular exercise is a great way to improve fitness, lose weight and boost immunity. Even if it’s just a vigorous daily walk with the dog or on your own, exercise will increase your energy and increase metabolism. Plus you're getting fresh air, Vitamin D, and increasing endorphins. I recommend including resistance training to build strength and tone. It can be difficult to get out during winter but even doing a 20-30min HIIT circuit 3 times a week with body weight exercises can increase your fitness and immunity 10x . Here’s a basic circuit that you can try and it’s one I personally do every morning.

Stationary sprints- Stand in a runners ready stance left foot forward and move your arms up and down as if you were sprinting as fast as you can. Rest and change feet position for second set

Burpees – Standing with feet shoulder width bend and place hands shoulder width on the floor, jump your feet back then back to hands quickly then stand up, repeat.

Bodyweight squats- Stand feet apart at shoulder width. Squat as if you were sitting down in a chair and as you lower yourself bring your arms fast in front eye level at the low point of the squat

Press-ups- Either full or on your knees

Mountain climbers- Start in a full press-up position, bring knee up to chest and alternate with other leg going as fast as you can

Lying leg raises- Lie on your back with your hands supporting your tailbone and lift both legs simultaneously to 90deg the lower without touching heals to floor.

Do each set for 30secs then rest 20secs and repeat whole circuit 3 times.

Drinking plenty of water is always a great idea but don’t forget you still need your daily 1.5 – 2litres per day regardless of the outside temperature. This often gets forgotten when it’s cold but the body still needs it to help flush out toxins and support vital systems. Try adding orange and lemon slices to a jug of water to add taste and boost vitamin C.

Supplements are a great added bonus to improve immunity as a lot of seasonal fruits may not be readily available and will be a great benefit if you pick up a cold or flu. It’s often said that a good healthy diet supplies all of your nutritional needs, and I agree with this, however if you do get sick the body is going to be burning up resources to fight the illness so giving it some extra help will aid and speed up recovery. A great option is a good quality Multi vitamin and Vitamin B12 for general immunity boosting.

Finally keep positive and enjoy each day. Watch your mood as this can lower immunity if you are always negative and focussing on sickness, as they say “what we think we attract”. So stay positive and keep busy. Just cos it’s a bit cold outside or grey doesn’t mean you stop doing what you love. I regularly go for walks in the bush that I love even in the winter, I just wear extra layers. Remember winter is just a season and spring and summer are just around the corner.

Miles