By January I'm still tired as work is still busy.  January in the North West of the UK tends to be drizzly rain, dull grey skies with the occasional frost.  On Friday 18th, I saw an attempt to snow!  I struggle with winter after the New Year as it seems to last forever, at least in December there's Christmas and the New Year to look forward to.  In January and February, there's nothing like that, so over the last few years, I've been looking at ways I can help myself in these dull dark and damp months.  This isn't a definitive list and it will always be evolving, but I thought it would give you some ideas if you're having the same issue.

Last weekend I changed my bedding and pj's, so my bed felt amazing to get into on Saturday night.  One of my favourite things is to get into a bed with clean bedding, #bliss.  It's also important for me to make sure I'm getting the right nutrients in January, so I make sure I'm having enough fresh fruit and veg.  I've written out a new meal plan menu for this year as my evening meals and snacks needed looking at to see how they could be made a bit healthier.  

My breakfast and work lunches have been sorted for a while now.  Breakfast is overnight oats which are oats layered with yoghurt with chia seeds, flaxseed and protein powder mixed into it and frozen fruit on top.  In the morning I add some protein granola for a crunchy topping.  Winter work lunch is my version of a Mexican bean type stew with rice.  It's diced onion and salad pepper with tins of kidney beans, tomatoes, black beans, sweetcorn and garlic powder added with some salt and pepper.  It's all put in one big pan and cooked for one to one and a half hours until it's cooked down.  

Summer work lunches were only swapped from sandwiches or salads last year after seeing something yummy looking on Instagram.  I roast off some sweet potatoes with a few sprays of oil, garlic and onion granules and I also roast off a red onion, salad pepper and sometimes cherry or plum tomatoes with a few sprays of oil and some garlic granules.  I add either cooked halloumi or pre-prepared Quorn chicken style roasted fillet strips and some lightly boiled broccoli. 

My morning snack is a banana with my afternoon one being either a protein bar or flapjack at about 2 pm and then a vegan protein shake made with almond milk at about 4 pm.  My evening meals are generally potatoes, with fresh veg and a vegetarian convenience main.  My aim this year is to lower the amount of convenience mains that I'm consuming.  Some thing's I can't avoid such as meat substitutes, I've been vegetarian for about four years now.  

My plan this year is to add some grapes to my morning snack and swap my afternoon protein bar or flapjack with carrot sticks and hummus or a hard-boiled egg and keep my 4 pm protein shake.  My evening meals will now include more regular wraps, and a stir-fry to start with adding pasta or pasta bake with fresh veg and a tin of tomatoes for the sauce rather than a pre-prepared sauce over the next few months.

Something else I plan on doing is getting outside a bit more.  I'm too eager to hole up inside and hide from the world in winter but I'm going to try and get out for a walk, even if it's just around the block, I'll get some fresh air and vitamin D that way.  I know I need more sleep at this time of year, so I'm making more of an effort to head up to bed at about 9 pm, read a chapter of a book before I put my light out and hopefully have enough sleep and wake to feel well-rested and ready for the day ahead. 

I will keep up with my daily journaling and am working on adding at least five minutes of meditation in the morning.  I am also trying to get back into doing some stretches in the morning until I can get back to the gym and join a regular yoga class again.  

What are some of the things that you do to help you through the winter months?