Beat off colds and flus this winter by keeping your immune system strong. Over the colder months, it’s easy to start feeling run down and lethargic, but if you keep your body supported with all the right vitamins and nutrients, you can keep your energy levels up and fight off illness. Here are some top tips for staying healthy in winter… 

Drink lots of water

Stay hydrated in winter by making an effort to get your two litres each day. A glass of water might be the last thing you feel like on an icy winter day, but it’s actually one of the best things for you! Even though you’re not sweating like in summer, your body needs plenty of fluids to keep your body hydrated. And when you have a cold or flu, increase your water intake to around 10 glasses a day to help make up for lost fluids, speeding up your recovery. 

A yummy snack or starter with just 51 calories! Perfect for when you’re entertaining, or just whenever you need a little delicious appetiser to start off your meal.

What you’ll need

• 1 cup sliced zucchini
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• Butter or margarine spray
• Not-stick cooking spray

(This recipe makes one serve)

Directions:

1. Cover a baking tray with tin foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Spread the zucchini slices out evenly on the tray and give them a little spritz with the butter spray.
3. Sprinkle the cheese over them.
4. Put in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese starts to brown lightly.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Spoil your appetite with a small, healthy, low-calorie snack before your meal- research has shown that it can help you to lose more weight, without feeling hungry and deprived.

Do you find yourself getting bored and giving up after ten or fifteen minutes on the treadmill? It’s frustrating when you know you could physically jog for longer, but your mind just wont let you. But if you have a few strategies to help make the treadmill more fun- or at least make the time pass more easily- you can get through the workout you know you can do.

Here are some ideas for taking the boredom out of running or walking on the treadmill…

When you’re trying to lose weight and concentrating on eating healthy foods, it’s easy to forget about the contribution your drinks are making to your calorie total. Often, we don’t really think about the impact of our juice or coffee or hot chocolate- but those liquid calories can add up fast, and sugary or sweetened drinks in particular can really sabotage your diet plan.

Try to make water your main beverage. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is so important, not only for your weight loss, but for your general health and wellbeing. Your body needs lots of water to maintain all its normal functions properly, including metabolism. And it has no calories, which frees you up to get more of your energy from food.  

Here are some of the most common daily drinks, and what you should be cautious of…

*Note: Never stop or change your medication without consulting your doctor first. If effects of medication on your weight concern you, discuss your options with a healthcare professional.

If you’re on any kind of long-term medication, it’s worth thinking about how this might be affecting your weight. Unfortunately, there are many types of prescription drugs that can have the side effect of increased appetite and weight gain- which can be frustrating when you’re eating healthily and exercising and still not seeing results.

Obviously, it’s not as simple as going off the medication. Stopping or changing your medication without consulting your doctor is never recommended. But if it is causing you to gain weight, or making it harder to lose, it’s important to be aware of this factor, and it may well be worth discussing with your doctor to see what options might be available to you.

One of the keys to losing weight is controlling your hunger- which is easy if you always feel satisfied. Knowing which healthy foods are the most filling, and incorporating them into your regular diet plan is the best way to make sure you feel full after eating, so you can eat less without feeling deprived. It’s just a matter of being smart about the calories you consume, and making a few changes to what and how you eat.

Here’s how you can eat less and feel more satisfied…