Cold season survival guide

Summer has gone, after long overstaying its welcome.  We’re well into autumn – in fact on our way to winter. Chilly mornings, high winds, rain and early darkness now that daylight saving has ended, offer some challenges.

It’s much easier to press the snooze button on cold, dark mornings, even though it means a rush to get ready for work.  But too much snoozing can mean skipping breakfast, and buying some fast food for lunch. So is 10 or 20 minutes extra in bed worth it for your health? 

Easing into autumn

If you must press the snooze button, try setting your alarm 30 minutes early.

This means you’ll have time to have breakfast. To prepare a healthy lunch to take to work. And to take your health products, such as Black Cumin Oil or Marine Phytoplankton or whatever works for you.

It also means you’ll leave your home in time to catch the train, bus or tram without stressing out. And if you drive to work, you’ll be a few minutes ahead of the usual traffic. 

Through the day

Drink water. Don’t forget to hydrate your body. Coffee and tea may make you feel good when it’s cold and bleak outside, but sip, sip, sip that water constantly.

Rug up and go for a brisk walk. Even 10 minutes can make a difference. Breathe in the fresh air. Swing your arms with every step. Soon you’ll be extending the time to 15 or 20 minutes, because you’ll feel so good.

At night

Make sure you don’t eat too late, and avoid drinking coffee after dinner. A shower before bed is a great way to help you to have a good night’s sleep.

Winter

Brrr. Cold, bleak winter days can easily sap your good intentions and make you want to withdraw from the world. But winter can be magical. Nothing beats a warm coat and a snuggly scarf as you cheer on your favourite sporting team, or sharing an outdoor BBQ with friends. Don’t forget to pop your bottle of TriGuard Plus in your bag to ward off a cold or flu from all the germs that others so generously share.

Winter is made for steaming bowls of healthy homemade soup. Try to resist the lure of fast food or those grilled sausages outside hardware stores. Make sure you eat breakfast before you shop. It’s a well-known strategy to stop you buying fatty chips and pastries because you feel so hungry.

If it’s not possible to exercise outside because it’s hailing or raining cats and dogs, do it indoors. Count the steps around your rooms and do some walking circuits. Push ups, yoga, stretching… Go on. You can do it.

A woman named Karen Gatt walked around her clothesline and every day, added a minute. She used only that exercise plus an eating plan she devised, to lose 67kg – half her body weight – in 13 months.

Possibilities for exercise are everywhere, if you just look for them.

And before you know it, spring will be here.

Products for colds and flus