As the days draw in and temperatures drop, you may be tempted to hang up your exercise gear and hibernate. Don’t! It may be cold outside but winter needn’t be the unhealthiest time of year for you and your family. Stay active throughout autumn and winter to beat those seasonal blues and feel on top of the world.

Here are four ways to make sure that even when your body is telling you to hibernate you can keep healthy and fit, no matter what the weather’s like:

1. Eliminate your sleep debt

“On average we sleep six-and-a-half hours a night, much less than the seven to nine hours recommended,” says the spokesperson at the Sleep Council, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of a good night’s sleep to health and wellbeing. But in winter, we naturally sleep more, due to the longer nights. “It’s perfectly natural to adopt hibernating habits when the weather turns cold.”

2. Drink more milk

You are 80% more likely to get a cold in winter so making sure your immune system is in tip-top condition is important. Milk and dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais are great sources of protein and vitamins A and B12. They’re also an important source of calcium, which helps keep our bones strong. Try to go for semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, rather than full fat, and low-fat yoghurts.

3. Eat more fruit and veg

Ensure that you still keep your diet healthy and include five portions of fruit and veg a day but not unhealthy comfort food. If you find yourself craving a sugary treat, try sweet dried fruits such as dates or raisins. Winter vegetables such as carrots and turnips can be roasted, mashed or made into soup for a comforting winter meal for the whole family.

4. Try new activities for the whole family

Don’t use the cold winter months as an excuse to stay in and lounge around. Regular exercise helps to control your weight, boost your immune system and is a good way to break the tension that can build if the family is constantly cooped up inside the house.

Don’t worry if you’ve not done much for a while, these exercises are easy, gentle to follow and can also be done indoors.

if you’re not keen on exercising outdoors, check out our 10-minute home exercise routines:

6-minute warm-up

10-minute home cardio workout

10-minute home toning workout

Stretching after exercising

Something you enjoy

Choose an activity that you enjoy. Now might be the time to try something new that you can do indoors, such as:

archery

badminton

bowls

cycling

dancing

curling

fencing

fitness classes

five-a-side football

handball

judo

pilates

squash

swimming

table tennis

tai chi

yoga

当冬天来临，气温降低，你或许想收起你的健身器材，进入“冬眠”了。千万别！外面可能是很冷，但冬天不应该成为你和家人不健康的时段。无论秋天还是冬天，都要保持活力，打败季节性忧郁，让自己处于最佳状态。

尽管身体告诉你是时候“冬眠”了，但是以下四个方法可以让你无论在何种天气，都保持身体健康。

1. 消除睡眠负担

睡眠委员会的发言人表示，“我们每晚平均要睡眠6.5小时，比建议的7到9小时要短”，这是要提高人们对一个好的晚间睡眠对身体健康重要性的意识。但是，在冬天，我们要多睡一点，因为冬天晚间时间长。“当天气转冷，采取’冬眠习惯’是非常自然的事情。”

2. 多喝牛奶

在冬天，你有80%的机会换感冒，因此，让你的免疫系统处于巅峰状态尤其重要。牛奶和奶制品如芝士、酸奶和奶酪都是蛋白质和维他命A和B12的重要来源。同时也是钙质的重要来源，可以让你的骨头坚实。尝试喝半脱脂牛奶或脱脂牛奶，而不喝全脂或低脂酸奶。

3. 多吃水果和蔬菜

确保饮食均衡营养，保持每天五份水果和蔬菜，而不是吃不健康的消闲食品。如果你真的想吃些含糖小吃，你可以吃些甜干果如大枣和葡萄干。红萝卜和白萝卜这类冬季蔬菜可以烤着吃，或磨成浆放进汤里作为全家人的温暖冬天晚餐。

4. 和家人进行新活动

不要把冬天天气寒冷作为呆在家里和闲逛的借口。常规锻炼可以控制你的体重，促进免疫系统循环。家人经常禁闭在家里会引发紧张关系，外出锻炼同时也是打破紧张关系的好方法。

虽然你很久没做运动，但也无须担心，以下的锻炼简单轻松，也可以在室内完成。

如果你不想去室外锻炼，可以看一下我们为你提供的10分钟在家锻炼运动：

6分钟热身运动

10分钟有氧运动

10分钟塑身运动

伸展运动

在享受中运动

选择你可以从中享受的运动。这个时间最适合在室内做的新锻炼模式：

箭术

羽毛球

保龄球

自转脚踏车运动

跳舞

冰壶运动

击剑

健身班

五人制足球

手球

柔道

普拉提健身课程

壁球

冬泳

乒乓球

太极拳

瑜伽