Sun and exercise help to beat the winter blues

Winter, it's cold and miserable - and it's also a killer, with 1600 Kiwis dying from respiratory problems, stroke and heart disease, conditions worsened by cold. The days are getting shorter. The weather is getting colder. Skies are more often cloudy than sunny. All these things can lead to those winter woes, cold, flu, Sad - that's seasonal adjustment disorder - and milder general depression, stiff joints, and general body aches.
There are several options for trying to beat those winter woes, though sadly the lack of a Lotto win means the most desirable, jetting off to sunnier climes for four or five months, is not open to most.
Instead, we have to try other methods to keep ourselves fighting fit against the baddies trying to invade our bodies at this time of year.
Here are a few tips and advice that may help:
Colds and flu
Both are caused by viruses, but although the common cold is often just a nuisance, flu can affect the joints, cause pneumonia, respiratory failure and even death. Influenza is deadly for about 400 people in New Zealand every year, which is about the same number who die in road crashes annually.
The common cold is caused by adenovirus or coronavirus, of which there are countless sub-categories infecting the nose, sinuses, throat and airways.
Symptoms include sneezing, a stuffy and/or runny nose, coughing, sore throat and watery eyes.
Colds and flu are caught by contact with other people's mucus, either through walking into someone's sneeze, or from touching a contaminated surface. Kids typically get up to eight colds a year.
In a non-swine flu year, between 10 and 20 per cent of the population usually get the flu.
Flu symptoms include a sudden fever, accompanied by chills and shakes, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, a hacking cough, diarrhoea and vomiting, which can lead to dehydration.
Colds and flu usually last seven to 10 days, but flu symptoms can linger for up to a month.
The cure: For colds, fluids, decongestants and cough syrups can help ease symptoms, but rest is the best, so take some time to look after yourself.
With flu, antiviral drugs can speed recovery by blocking the bug's ability to reproduce itself, but they are most effective within the first 48 hours.
Iron supplements should be stopped for a couple of days as viruses use iron as part of their reproduction cycle.
Antibiotics are useless against cold and flu viruses, but some secondary infections and complications are bacterial and need such treatment. If symptoms persist or worsen, see your doctor.
Prevention is better than a cure, and the best defence against colds and flu is good hygiene.
Flu vaccine shots can prevent 70 to 90 per cent of infections in healthy people under age 65.
Chapped lips
These become much more common in winter as when you're cold, less blood is pumped to the extremities of your body, including the lips, drying them out.
The condition is exacerbated by exposure to wind and fluctuations in humidity. Left untreated, chapped lips can become a persistent, painful, cyclical condition.
The cure: Lip balms with cocoa butter and/or beeswax protect the sensitive lip tissue from further harm.
Healthy winter living
As said earlier, the healthier you are the better chance you have of beating the winter blues.
One of the best ways to keep healthy and happy in winter is to exercise regularly. When exercising outside, warm up beforehand and beware of slippery footpaths on frosty mornings. If it's too wet, why not try dancing or boxing?
Winter eating
A packet of biscuits for dinner may taste good, but it's not good for your energy levels, which will fluctuate.
For energy, eat wholegrain bread, oats and brown rice. Boost immunity to winter germs with garlic and vitamin C. Vitamin D-rich foods - oily fish, egg yolks and margarine - will counteract lack of sunlight. Eat seasonal or frozen fruit and vegetables, which are packed with minerals and vitamins.
Keep up fluid intake as dehydration can lead to low energy levels and encourage snacking.
SAD
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a winter malady that causes depression, lethargy, and lack of motivation.
Six Tips To Combat Sad:
Light up your day: Even if it is grey and cloudy, the effects of daylight are beneficial.
Balanced nutrition: A well-balanced nutritious diet will give you more energy and possibly quell your carb cravings. Comfort food tastes good and it may make you feel better for the short-term, but a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains will keep your weight in check and make you feel better in the long-run.
Get your supplements: Getting your recommended daily amounts of vitamins and minerals can help alleviate some of the Sad symptoms and improve your energy, particularly if you are deficient in key nutrients.
Move your body. Regardless of the time of year, regular exercise is essential for overall health. Getting your body moving will help you battle winter weight gain, boost your endorphins, and may even help you sleep more soundly.
Prioritise social activities. Stay connected to your social network. Getting out of the house and doing enjoyable things with friends and family can do wonders to cheer you up.
Get help. If you have exhausted your attempts at natural remedies and the symptoms of Sad are still interfering with your daily functioning, seek professional help.
WINTER MYTHS
Do you burn more calories in winter? Yes, but only if you move more to keep warm. Shivering - an involuntary rhythmic muscular contraction - produces 600 watts of heat (equivalent of half a bar of an electric heater) and can raise your metabolic rate fivefold.
Does cold weather kill off germs? No. Viruses and bacteria grow more slowly in the cold, but only heat kills them. Furthermore, people huddle together more, which spreads bugs around.
Isn't a warming tipple, such as a wee dram of whisky, the best way to keep the cold at bay? No. Drinking alcohol increases heat loss by causing warm blood to go to the skin.