Winter Hibernation

Posted 16 December 2010 by Sally Gunnell

I'm writing this in front of the fire, which has been blazing non-stop all week. It's freezing cold and the snow came dumping down today. This chilly, dark weather makes you want to climb into bed and not get back out until May!
Much as I might want to curl up for several months, I can't, thanks to a busy work diary, 3 boisterous boys and a hubby who's not much quieter. So how do I keep myself going in the bad weather? Well, no big secret, just a bit of pre-Christmas common sense:

Fruit. That 5-a-day thing seems much more challenging at this time of year. I'd rather swap my cold apple for a warm slice of apple pie, but it's not quite the same thing nutritionally. So, I tend to have both! I go easy on the portion size, obviously, but the key is to maintain the fruit intake. People who eat plenty of fresh fruit and veg are less likely to suffer with colds at this time of the year, reason enough for me to try hard!

Exercise. My hubby bought me one of those turbo trainers for my bike. He knows me well; I haven't been out for a ride in a good while (why would you want to in this weather?) For around £45, you can pick up a little gizmo off an auction site. You attach your bike's back wheel to it, flip your favourite DVD on the telly and pedal for all you're worth! It works a treat; I get a decent sweat on, don't get cold fingers or wet hair and never have a puncture! Lots of research shows that people who exercise regularly are much less likely to fall ill at this time of the year…similar to the 5-a-day thing.

Sleep. Not for five months, but certainly for 7 to 8 hours a night. If you're like me, at this time of the year you'll have lots of parties to attend. All good fun, but it's easy to find yourself up late with work looming the next day. I'll certainly get a couple of nights in any given week when I'm free, so on those evenings I'm in bed at a very decent hour. Lack of sleep leads to higher stress levels and reduced immunity to infections, so I aim for my full quota as often as I possibly can.

Drink. I've written on more than one occasion about my love of the odd glass of wine. The festive season usually brings me in to contact with lots of very lovely vino, so again, I make sure that on my "early nights", I don't drink at all. In fact, I'm pretty good at staying off wine during the week and confining it to weekends, even at this time of the year. When I do drink, I always have a glass of water on the go as well. Dehydration is my enemy, so I avoid it.

If I keep my exercise going, eat my fruit and veg, get some sleep and manage my alcohol intake…I'll be well on the way to having the merriest possible Christmas!

Sally Gunnell