It is so easy to feel down when it comes to the cold weather. We can all be affected by the cold weather at some time or another, and a lack of cheery sunshine doesn’t help one little bit. Winter blues, winter doldrums, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or whatever you want to call it is a real problem in the cooler months. Here are five ways you can stay happy and motivated through winter.

When we think of exercise, walking, running, yoga and Pilates springs to mind. However, gardening is one of the best forms of exercise you can get. Have you heard people comment on the fact that their muscles hurt in places they never even knew existed? Gardening is a great all-around workout for the body regardless of your age. In fact, National Gardening Exercise Day is celebrated on the 6 June to encourage everyone to get outdoors and exercise in the garden. When you think about all the things you do in the garden including raking, lifting, planting, carrying, digging, watering, pulling - then it’s not difficult to see the great things you are doing for your body, not to mention the environment.

Dieting over winter and the holiday season can be tricky, but as we enter 2018, it is time to readdress the situation and come up with a plan. There are many reasons why we struggle to stick to our diet and, sometimes the truth is, we are our own worst enemy. Think about what may be affecting your success rate.

Last week on our blog we discussed how to stick to those New Year resolutions. This week, we are going to focus on what resolutions you can make to help your diet in the long-term. Weight loss occurs due to a number of factors. You cannot increase your exercise and expect to see huge changes. Nor can you reduce the amount you eat without altering other factors as well. However, by changing the way you approach food and exercise, in general, will enable you to lose weight and get fit in the New Year.