Winter Tips....

By Martina Navratilova

Well, the holidays are over and it’s time to start on that New Year’s resolution to get healthy! It’s much harder to get motivated to stay fit and active during the winter months but with a few tips, hopefully I can help keep you chugging along during the cold and dark months. Exercise helps combat winter depression and seasonal disorders so no matter what you do, make sure you do something. You will be healthier and you will also be happier in these winter months, which are normally the hardest for people to enjoy. And remember, if you’ve already given up on your ‘Get Fit’ New Year’s resolution or you didn’t make one to start, it’s not too late …

Motivate!
1) Even in the winter, often the hardest time of the year to be motivated, it’s important to do something active every day. It might mean taking the steps to your office instead of the elevator or going to the mall and walking a few laps while window shopping. Something is always better than nothing and you’ll start to notice that the little things add up quickly.

Do what you love to get yourself started
2) Many times, the toughest part of working out is getting started on new regiment. Whether you are still putting off the New Year’s resolution or haven’t been to a gym in a while, the best way to get back into the swing of things is to do something you actually enjoy. Go to the gym and play basketball instead of lifting weights or take a long power walk instead of doing the stationary bike. Once you’ve started to get in the habit of doing active things, it’s easier to move to some of those less fun workouts. If you’re getting out there and getting active while having fun at the same time... what could be better??

Jam out while you workout
3) One of the greatest parts about going to the gym is throwing on your iPod and listening to all those great tunes that get you pumped up and ready to go. So before you go, build a few great playlists that are gonna get you excited once you are at the gym.

Make your goal specific.
4) Instead of resolving to “work out more in 2008” tell yourself you’re going to “go to the gym four times a week” or decide to “do a set of sit-ups before work every day.” If you have a firm resolution, it’s harder to break. And like I talked about in my Christmas tips, if you make a resolution with a friend, you will have a cheerleader there to make sure you follow through. Don’t give yourself an unrealistic goal; instead, make a solid resolution that provides a way to reach that ultimate goal of feeling great.

Set concrete goals at the gym.
5) Every time you go the gym, set a little target for the day. Be it doing two miles on the treadmill, doing an extra set of reps while lifting, or just keeping up with your buddy for the day, try to follow through. A more specific target that helps you reach your overall goal will be beneficial since it will keep your mind closer to where it should be: on the workout you are doing right then and there.

Stews and soups keep you warm and healthy
6) In this cold part of the winter, make a stew or soup. It’s easy to throw together a bunch of fresh organic items into one pot and you can make the base for the stew from some pretty easy ingredients. Sometimes water, vegetable juice, and some easy spices do the trick (and then you get to add lots of veggies!). Spices and vegetables provide most of the flavor for stews instead of things that’ll way you down like butter and best of all, you have complete control as to what goes in (and more importantly, what doesn’t).

Substitute, substitute, substitute.
7) Recipes were made to be messed with; substitute when you can to make your recipes healthier. Cook with broth (vegetable,chicken) instead of oils; substitute a vinaigrette or citrus juice based dressing for a creamy dressings full of saturated fat; or try a reduced sodium broth or skim milk instead of butter or cream. Replace desserts that require heavy cream with recipes that utilize evaporated skim milk or yogurt; and for cakes and other desserts, substitute fresh fruit puree as a topping instead of frosting. And one of my favorites: using applesauce instead of maple syrup. These substitutes will bring a great new flavor to some of your favorite recipes and your food will be even healthier!

Cut down on the red meat.
8) Although the average Texan cattle farmer might want you to think differently, too much red meat can be hard on your diet so make it a treat. In my opinion, eating red meat three of four times a month is still just fine but if you eat less than that, that’s even better. It’s high in saturated fat and for many people over the age of 50, it’s quite hard to digest as well so choose that fresh fish instead of the big steak.

Stick to the list
9) Make a grocery list of healthy foods and stick to it. Don’t impulse buy but instead, only get those things on your list. And by all means, don’t go the store when you are hungry!!! That’s when you decide you just can’t live without those cheese puffs and that you it’d be just fine to buy that jumbo box of Oreos. Go on a full stomach and don’t deviate from that list... you made it for a reason! Forego the Designer Drinks
10) When it’s cold outside, people reach for warm drinks and normally, that means a run to the coffee shop around the corner. If you have to get your fix of caffeine, do it with coffee instead of a mocha latte or a blended drink. Many of the beverages at your local Starbucks have over 700 calories in them. 700 calories for a drink?! Your best bet is a cup of coffee with a bit of skim milk; it has only a few calories and the same pick me up as those 700 calorie drinks. Also, remember to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water during the winter months. This is the time when we tend to get dehydrated the most.

Follow my seasonal, easy to follow, tips and advice for maintaining a healthy lifestyle throuhgout the year. click an icon below to read other seasonal tips