| Tim Leeming. Exercise Nutritionist. When was the last time you made it through a winter of training without taking time off? More specifically, time off to get over the winter blues or some state of compromised immunity? Athletes, in particular, know this situation all too well. Pushing the limits with early starts to trudge through the wind, rain or hail before even a hint of sunlight hits the horizon. Or alternatively, burning the candle at both ends with evening runs in equally dark and dire conditions after a long day at the office. |  |
From an evolutionary perspective, we were not made to spend as much energy each day of autumn and winter as we do in spring and summer. Year-round we should rise in the mornings with the sun and settle into rest and recovery following the same rule in the evenings. Unfortunately, our modern lifestyles detract from this now utopian notion, not to mention the annual running events calendar. Running, like most athletic codes, has become an all-year endeavour and far less of a seasonal sport.
Although these modern veracities are all too real and, quite frankly, hard to avoid, my number one piece of advice remains that you should work with Mother Nature and the seasons. Train less in the winter, get more sleep and rest and sync your training with the daylight hours. However, because our modern lifestyles are rather rigid and don’t allow for much change, here are some helpful hacks for preventing illness in the colder, darker months. Apply these as often as often as you can:
Apple Cider Vinegar
A tablespoon every morning with half a cup of warm (not boiling) water provides your gut with extra punch to fend off seasonal pathogens. If you’re struggling with ACV initially, the juice of half a lemon works too. We’ll go into depth about gut health elsewhere.
Bone Broth
There are recipes aplenty online; check out bepure.co.nz or changinghabits.com.au. Broths provide healthy support for your gut and immune system with a range of vitamins and minerals, and are a wonderful source of gelatin which is known to promote muscle recovery with its extremely high protein content.
Eat more cooked seasonal vegetables and less raw salads
Our bodies are designed to best handle the foods that are available to us in natural abundance – that is, seasonal produce. The advent of freezing and shipping fruit and veg from the other side of the world where the sun is shining has caused great confusion for our digestive physiology. Keep it simple; buy local seasonal produce and cook it well. Yum!
Probiotics
The benefits are many and varied, and the evidence is well documented. I suggest Bio-Kult, available online. There are many others including Inner Health Plus and an organic product from Changing Habits, Australia.
Vitamin D
Typically, we get Vitamin D from exposure to the sun. A staggering 84% of New Zealanders are deficient in this essential vitamin which is important for gut and psychological health among a multitude of other functions. Most high quality fish oils have Vitamin D included. I use Be Pure THREE; another reputable brand is Nordic Naturals.
The explanations and this list could go on and on, but these five points are a firm place to start. If you want to talk further about your training and nutrition, contact us here to learn about Exercise Nutrition Consultations at James Kuegler Coaching.
Apple Cider Vinegar
A tablespoon every morning with half a cup of warm (not boiling) water provides your gut with extra punch to fend off seasonal pathogens. If you’re struggling with ACV initially, the juice of half a lemon works too. We’ll go into depth about gut health elsewhere.
Bone Broth
There are recipes aplenty online; check out bepure.co.nz or changinghabits.com.au. Broths provide healthy support for your gut and immune system with a range of vitamins and minerals, and are a wonderful source of gelatin which is known to promote muscle recovery with its extremely high protein content.
Eat more cooked seasonal vegetables and less raw salads
Our bodies are designed to best handle the foods that are available to us in natural abundance – that is, seasonal produce. The advent of freezing and shipping fruit and veg from the other side of the world where the sun is shining has caused great confusion for our digestive physiology. Keep it simple; buy local seasonal produce and cook it well. Yum!
Probiotics
The benefits are many and varied, and the evidence is well documented. I suggest Bio-Kult, available online. There are many others including Inner Health Plus and an organic product from Changing Habits, Australia.
Vitamin D
Typically, we get Vitamin D from exposure to the sun. A staggering 84% of New Zealanders are deficient in this essential vitamin which is important for gut and psychological health among a multitude of other functions. Most high quality fish oils have Vitamin D included. I use Be Pure THREE; another reputable brand is Nordic Naturals.
The explanations and this list could go on and on, but these five points are a firm place to start. If you want to talk further about your training and nutrition, contact us here to learn about Exercise Nutrition Consultations at James Kuegler Coaching.
