Beating the holiday blues

With the winter months approaching and the summer holidays already feeling like a lifetime ago

, it would be easy to let the holiday blues set in. With the weather outside being better suited to jeans and jumpers than swimming shorts and bikinis, it can be easy to fall into the routine of curling up on the sofa with a glass of wine rather than hitting the gym.

However, this doesn't need to be the case. Remember that being fit and healthy is a lifestyle change, and is something that needs to be worked at. Autumn and Winter don't need to be depressing times, rather, think of them as an opportunity to look at your health, fitness or diet and then revamp and invigorate yourself.

If you're trying to eat your five a day, it's worth noting that Autumn in particular is the season for tomatoes, beetroot and blackberries. All three of these will help you to hit your recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables, as well as having great health benefits. Tomatoes in particular contain lycopene. This has been repeatedly studied in humans and found to be protective against a growing number of cancers. In addition, they are also high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium and potassium.

Beetroot is known as a superfood', and is a great vegetable because it's so versatile; you can eat it raw, cooked, pickled or even juice it. It's also great at helping to combat depression as it contains betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains trytophan which is found in chocolate and contributes to a sense of well being. That said, beetroot does have one of the highest sugar contents of any vegetable. Up to 10 per cent of beetroot is sugar, but it is released slowly into the body rather than the sudden rush that results from eating sugary treats.

If you want to get your family out and about in the fresh air, blackberry picking is a great activity to get everyone moving, as well as providing a healthy, nutritious snack at the end of it. Blackberries are high in fibre and rich in antioxidants, they also contain chemicals that help slow down the ageing process and are high in Vitamin C, which helps strengthen the immune system against all those autumn colds.

Even though the rain is starting to become a regular occurrence, spending time outdoors and being active is a great way to help boost your mood. Studies have found that just 5 minutes of exercise a day in the great outdoors can help improve mental health and a sense of well-being. This is known as green activity' and can include things like walking, gardening, cycling or horse-riding. If you fancy working up a bit more a sweat, team sports such as football or rugby are a great option. Team sports are fun and will instantly lift a bad mood; they also give you the motivation to stick to a new fitness plan. New challenges are known to boost confidence and mood levels, so if team sports don't appeal how about trying a new exercise class or a sport you haven't played before? Plenty of exercise can be used in conjunction with diets to create a whole new you.

Rather than dwelling on the fact that the summer's over, use this period as a time to try new things and to get your health and fitness back on track.

Beating the holiday blues

By: Paul Buchanan

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