A WEALTH OF WINTER WARMERS

So the nights have drawn in, the faithful winter woolies have been woken from their summer slumber, and that October heatwave is but a fond and distant memory.

But with some private weather companies forecasting colder-than-average temperatures for the coming months, are you ready for all that winter might throw at your health regime? Here are a few ways to keep in tiptop shape this season…

KEEP ON MOVING

According to the British Nutrition Foundation, many of us gain between one and five pounds over the winter months. While on the face of it this doesn’t sound like much, research suggests that this weight gain tends to stick around, so it’s worth keeping the weight in check while it’s chilly.

Try this: Although it’s cold, try to get out for a walk in the fresh air every day. Not only will this exercise help get your heart pumping and your circulation moving, the natural light could have a positive effect on your mood and help to keep the winter blues at bay too!

Those suffering with seasonal joint pain or arthritis could benefit from a daily dose of apple cider vinegar and honey such as Honegar (£4.69 for 500ml from Holland & Barrett and all good health food stores) mixed with warm water to help keep active.

SUPERCHARGE YOUR MEALTIMES

A healthy, balanced diet will help bolster your energy levels and mood, while stopping you from gaining weight over the winter period. The cold weather naturally encourages you to opt for comforting carbohydrate-loaded food which can be high in calories and fat, so fill at least a third of your plate with hearty seasonal vegetables such as parsnips, swede, kale and carrots.

Try this: Ensure that your diet is filled with the immune-boosting vitamins and minerals it needs to stay healthy with a natural supplement such as Lifestream Chlorella (£15.29 for 300 tablets from all good health stores or www.grumpygorilla.co.uk). Renowned as nature’s won multivitamin, chlorella is packed with more than 20 vitamins, minerals and amino acids, including vitamin D – a vitamin usually supplied by sunlight which is often hard to come by in the winter months.

WINTER WARMERS

We all know that being cold feel pretty miserable, but did you know that staying warm can actually help to reduce those ‘winter blues’ by up to a half? With this in mind, it’s worthwhile taking steps to make sure that your home falls within the 18oC – 21oC range most experts recommend to be comfortable.

Try this: Dress for the season. Several thin layers are better than one thick layer, and don’t forget your gloves, scarf and hat when you’re out in the cold. Also, check whether you are entitled to financial help with heating your home. The Warm Front Scheme offers grants of up to £3,500 for heating and insulation improvements, while Cold Weather Payments are available for those who receive certain benefits or have a child with a disability under the age of five, and Winter Fuel Payments can be made to those born on or before 5th July 1050.

SORE THROAT SAVERS

The autumn and winter months are rife with coughs, sneezes and the dreaded sore throat. Usually caused by a viral infection (although sometimes caused by a bacteria called the streptococcal infection), and often accompanying a stinking cold, getting a sore throat can make you feel utterly miserable

Try this: Get plenty of rest, and if you feel like eating, steer clear of anything too dry, opting for soothing foods such as soup, sorbet or ice cream. Most importantly, keep your fluid levels up. Try a spoonful of Manuka honey mixed with PLj Lemon Juice (£2.29 from Tesco, Sainsbury’s and all good health food stores) and warm water and sip to soothe and calm your inflamed throat.

DON’T GIVE IN TO WINTER SKIN

The winter months are rife with good skin stealers – inside the home, your heating zaps the skin of vital moisture, while out and about the winter weather gets to work on your exposed bits, chapping your lips, creating havoc with your hands and exposing your eczema-prone skin.

Try this: Make sure you always carry a skin saver in your handbag, whatever the weather. Moa – The Green Balm (£4.99 from all good health stores or www.thegreenbalm.co.uk) can be used as a lip salve, to soothe dry and chapped hands, treat blemishes, bites and bruises, and can even be mixed with hot water as a sore throat-soothing drink!

SLOUGH AWAY THOSE WINTER LAYERS

Although it seems to make no sense at all, rather than drying your skin out, removing the top layer of dead skin cells through a good exfoliating session in the bath could actually allow your skin to absorb more of the skin-boosting benefits of your moisturiser.

Don’t scrub too hard though, and steer clear of formulations which contain astringents because these can also dry the new skin underneath.

Try this: Gorge on sugar – it’s good for your skin! Urtekram’s Organic Fairtrade Brown Sugar Body Scrub (£11.89 from all good health food stores or www.grumpygorilla.co.uk) is crammed with guilt-free sweet stuff to make your skin as soft as a baby. Blending Fairtrade organic brown sugar from Paraguay with apricot and sesame seeds, coconut, hemp and essential oils, it’s a taste of unadulterated luxury without the calories!

Thanks to Healthy Food Brands.