Wintering the Healthier Way
Tips on How to Get Through Winter
the Healthier Way
With the winter months, especially here in the midwest and during a pandemic, we are indoors now more than ever. We tend to be less active because there is less to do. This also gives us more opportunity to drink and eat more (typically unhealthy foods) which is not good for your overall health… or your waistline!
Here are a few tips to get through the winter in a healthier way and feel stronger and healthier going into spring.
Maintain a good mindset.
Your mindset is a HUGE part of making a change and sticking to it. If you don't have the right mindset, it is going to be difficult to stick to it. There will always be something that comes up or an excuse to get out of a workout or cooking a healthy meal. Your purpose needs to be stronger than your excuses.
You need to enjoy the process of self-improvement and doing something good for yourself. Be consistent and honest with yourself. Instead of focusing only on results, focus on creating new healthy habits and enjoying the fact you are improving yourself. This will lead to long term success. If you quit or “get stuck” you might be prioritizing the result over the process. I see this a lot with weight loss.
Be positive. With every stressful situation, try to look at the bright side of things and try to see the glass as half full, not empty. So much of how we experience life is a matter of our perception and perspective. You cannot control what happens to you or around you, you can only control your reaction and actions.
2. Set realistic goals.
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When you are thinking of some healthy habits or some goals. Be wary of setting an unsafe or unrealistic goal for yourself. It can be very frustrating to set a goal and not be able to reach it. If the goal you have set for yourself is unrealistic or unattainable, to begin with, you are setting yourself up for failure. No wonder people give up on themselves when they fail each time they try to do something. They don’t realize that if they set smaller, realistic, attainable goals and achieve them more frequently, they could be crushing goals left and right! Setting smaller attainable goals more frequently or focusing on implementing healthier habits a bit at a time can increase your success in reaching your goals. As you meet each goal, you set a new one, which puts you in constant, positive, and forward momentum.
Where your mindset is concerned, there are some things you can do over these next few months to put your mind in the right place.
3. Get enough SLEEP
Sleep plays a huge role in your health and happiness. How do you feel when you are sleep deprived? If you are like me, you have more cravings, your thinking is impaired, and you are more irritable.
During sleep your body repairs and restores itself. It heals itself by rebuilding tissue and eliminating toxins. Sleep also regulates your hormone levels. If you do not get enough sleep, you put your body in more stress which can activate your body’s stress response.
Be sure you are getting enough sleep every night. Everyone needs a different amount but most studies indicate about 7 hours of sleep, but everyone is different. What amount is your sweet spot? Be honest with yourself and try to get that every night.
4. Eat healthy foods
Nutrition is the most important factor when it comes to your health. Your nutrition is your body’s fuel to run and function optimally. If you do not fuel your body with the nutrition it needs, it will not run efficiently and effectively. This is just like fuel for your vehicle, if you do not use the right fuel for your car, it will not run very well and might do harm. The same goes for your nutrition.
If you fuel your body with unhealthy, processed foods, your body cannot run optimally. These foods like chips, soda, and most snacks contain calories but these calories are what we call “empty calories.” This means the calories you are eating are made up of minimal vitamins and nutrients. In addition to avoiding processed foods, avoid drinking alcohol regularly. Too much alcohol consumption can weaken your immune system and put you at higher risk of getting sick.
On the other hand, if you eat healthy foods that are “nutrient-dense” or nutritious, they are full of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients and are just what the body needs to work properly and are good for your immune system.
Tips:
purge your pantry, shop on the outside of the grocery store, and avoid buying processed foods.
Pick 1-2 new nutrition habits to implement for 2 weeks and build onto that. For example, start with drinking no less than 8 8 oz of water a day and eating veggies with every single dinner for 2 weeks, then add onto that, etc.
5. Move your body.
Exercising regularly has health benefits and exercise also benefits your mind and spirit by giving you an endorphin rush and the satisfaction that you have done something good for yourself. Exercise can help relieve stress, help you feel more relaxed, and boost your mood.
Tips:
When you start a new exercise routine the key is to start implementing small changes at a time vs. a huge change that you will most likely not stick to. Start by going for a 20-minute walk 3 times the first week, then bump it up to 4 times the second week, then increase the time to 30 minutes, etc.
Get outside every day if you can. If you can get outdoors for your workouts or a walk, try to do this as much as you can at home or at work.
Start a “challenge” like a 30 day push up challenge or plank challenge. For one minute a day, do as many push-ups as you can in a minute or hold a plank for a minute. If you can’t do it for a full minute write the time down or the number of push-ups you could complete. Then at the end of 30 days, you will be surprised how strong you have gotten. You can do this at home or at work!
With a set of dumbbells and a chair or bench, you can do very effective strength workouts at home. The Refine YOU Program provides workouts customized to each client’s level. Refine YOU workouts are also available to purchase outside of the Refine YOU Program.
Even with zero equipment, you can walk, jog, run, do interval workouts, HIIT workouts, and bodyweight exercises with no equipment. If you need guidance on workouts, there are hundreds of workout apps and programs that are all virtual and online. Refine YOU offers 6 weeks of at-home workouts with free guides.
Get an accountability partner. Find someone to keep you accountable with your workouts and check in with each other. The Refine YOU Program has daily accountability for workouts and nutrition.
Use the stairs. If you have stairs at home or at work, use them! If you need a break, take that time, put on some tunes, and go up and down the stairs.
If you want to start implementing some of these tips to get through the winter in a healthier way, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Don’t too much all at once.
A lot of people have the “all or nothing” mentality. They choose a severely restrictive or aggressive plan to achieve a very aggressive goal. With your nutrition, start getting rid of unhealthy processed foods and buying healthier options. Look for healthy hacks for your favorite unhealthy foods, there are a lot of them! If you aren’t exercising at all, start slow and for less time and gradually increase the intensity and time. Keep your mind healthy and in a good place. Don’t just take care of your body, take care of your mind, this is what is most important. Give yourself time for you, it’s not optional, it’s mandatory. You must fill your cup so you can give it to others, you cannot give from an empty cup.
If you need help and accountability in reaching your goals, Refine YOU is happy to help with workouts or the full customized nutrition and fitness program (The Refine YOU Program). The Refine YOU Program is a 6 week (plus one bonus week) online guided program. It will provide you with a customized nutrition plan PLUS workouts (home and gym versions) to your level to help you reach your health and fitness goals. It is NOT a diet but actually teaches you how to eat to get the results that you want and still have your cake and eat it too. It is a jump start to a lifestyle change and provides you the flexibility to work this into YOUR schedule, not the other way around, to help you be the healthiest YOU possible.
