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How to Be Healthier This January | Winter Lifestyle Advice

The winter is definitely the most difficult time of year to be productive and to live a healthy active lifestyle. The weather is usually miserable with low temperatures, short days and dark skies. This prompts us to find shelter in the warmth of our homes and to avoid being outside wherever possible. Naturally our bodies want to recuperate when we have been battling with germs of bugs and flus which are everywhere in the winter. So getting up early to hit the gym before work or heading to the gym late at night can seem pretty impossible most of the time. This article outlines a few ways to live a healthier life this January without going overboard at the gym.

Start an Indoor Sport that Isn’t the Gym

The gyms are usually filled to burst during the first month of the year, and usually it’s with people who generally don’t care for the gym but have been forced into it by their tight waistband after Christmas. You will find by the end of February most of these people have given up. If the gym isn’t really for you, or dislike having to wait to use machines at the gym that you usually have all to yourself 11 months out of the year then taking up a different kind of exercise could be the answer you’ve been waiting for. If you enjoy the water you could try swimming once a week. Swimming uses all the muscles in your body and is therefore a good exercise to work your entire body. It can also be very relaxing to have a swim, just try and avoid weekend afternoons or scheduled lesson times as it will be crawling with kids which really eliminates the relaxing part. If you don’t like swimming you could try a group sport at your local sport centre such as badminton, tennis or squash. These are fun exercises that are social as well.

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Meal Prep Interesting Meals

Some people are put off by meal prepping due to the major advocates being gym bunnies or body builder types who eat what seems to be just salad, rice and chicken. I had to stifle a yawn just writing that sentence so I know where you are coming from. Meal prepping isn’t about eating salad all the time it’s more to do with being organized. Preparing your meals in advance, especially your lunch and snacks for work means you won’t end up spending lots of money unnecessarily on café coffees and those hipster sandwich shops that although taste good are awfully expensive. To make meal prep more interesting you could try at least one new recipe every week. Make extra portions so you can use for lunches, or freeze and use for dinners at a later date. The more prepared you are on a Sunday evening will save you a lot of time and money through the week. Home cooked meals are a lot healthier than pre-packaged food so the process of meal prep is a great way to live a healthier, happier life.