The cooler months are starting to arrive and it can be difficult to stay fit and healthy over winter. Summer sports are over and it is easy to look out of your window and decide against going for that run in the cold and head instead to your kitchen to enjoy some “comfort” food. If you want to avoid packing on unwanted kilos over the winter, here are some ideas to stay healthy during the cooler months.

Comfort Foods That Won’t Pack on the Kilos
Warm up with a healthy breakfast of porridge. Add some honey or some fruit for a breakfast that will keep you going for hours.

Soups and stews can provide healthy and warming meals and light snacks that won’t add on too many kilos. Always add plenty of vegetables to your soups and stews to ensure you get plenty of fibre. If you make a pumpkin soup, use light cream or light milk to add to the mashed pumpkin. Grate carrots and zucchinis to add to a meat stew or soup and ensure your meal is healthy.

Make a batch of a soup or stew and freeze it in portion sizes. That way, you will always have a healthy meal or light snack when you need one.

Eat fruit, just as you do in the summer months. During winter, apples and oranges abound, plus there are some fruits you can try only during the winter. Try to eat at least one or two pieces of fruit a day. Winter is a great time to try stewed fruit if you want something warm.

Winter Exercise Ideas
Exercising during the winter can be daunting. You might get up at 6am during the warm summer months to go for a walk, jog, run, or even a swim, but you will find it much harder to get out of your warm bed on a cold winter’s morning to get in your exercise routine. Exercise is essential to stay healthy, as it boosts your immune system by improving your circulation. Getting into slack habits over the cooler months will make it much more difficult to get back into your swimming costume when the summer returns.

If you find it difficult to go for a walk or run early in the morning during winter, try varying your exercise routine. It might be easier to get up and put on an exercise DVD and exercise indoors. Wii Fit provides an option for indoor exercising that you can do any time of the year. Hire a treadmill for the winter months, if you won’t go outside but still want to walk.

You can also walk at different times of the day. A nice walk in the winter sunshine at lunch time can give a lift to your spirits and help you to get some exercise. Walk when you come home from work, before it gets too dark or cold.

If you like swimming as an exercise, look for an indoor heated pool in your local area to get your swim in during the winter. Some indoor heated pools hold exercise classes too, such as aqua aerobics, which can get your heart pumping. Finish with a warm shower and you will feel refreshed as you head on home.

Don’t forget that the local gym will have plenty of different exercise classes and activities you can do indoors. Most gyms are inside anyway, so it doesn’t make any difference what the weather is outside.

Eat well and continue to exercise during the cooler months to stay healthy. The healthier your body is in general, the easier it is to avoid colds, flues, and other diseases that inconvenience people during the winter. Continue to eat healthy meals, with plenty of fruits and vegetables, to avoid packing on the kilos over the winter.