It may be autumn but it's important to make sure that you don't let the family's healthy habits slope off into hibernation just yet! Our fun tips - on diet and exercise - will make sure that you all stay on top form, well into the winter.
Diet
Avoid calorie-heavy and nutrition-light meals by planning ahead. Our website has loads of warming and yet healthy recipe ideas that are just perfect as the cooler weather and darker nights start to set in. Many of the recipes can be made in bulk and a few portions popped into the freezer for ready-meals with the x-factor.
Try adding extra portions of fruit and veg into every meal. Prunes, bananas and milled seeds, for example, can be buzzed into milk for a satisfying breakfast or for a snack that packs a nutritious punch. And the nutritional value of your family's favourite bakes can be boosted with dried fruit. Chopped Sunsweet prunes, for example, will transform a flapjack.
Use the hedgerows as your larder! A handful of blackberries whizzed up with prunes makes a deliciously fruity compote. Use the compote to add a fruity twist to a bowl of creamy, natural yogurt or enjoy it spread on warm, wholemeal toast. Delicious!
Exercise
Use the garden as your gym! Autumn is the perfect time to get things ship-shape, outside. Clear those weeds, sweep those leaves, dig over those beds. The whole family will have a healthy glow in no time and you'll have the satisfaction of an impressively tidy garden, to boot.
Make a date for an activity – a walk with friends in the country-side, perhaps – put it on the calendar and make sure that you stick to it. There really is no such thing as the wrong weather, just the wrong clothing. Invest in some waterproofs, get the whole family wrapped up warm and get out there. Enjoy!
Never let yourself reach the point of being ravenous, no matter how busy your day turns out to be. It is far better to keep yourself topped up by enjoying small and healthy snacks throughout the day than it is to deprive yourself and, ultimately, end up bingeing on more unhealthy options when you are running on empty. A handful of Sunsweet prunes makes for a quick and tasty snack. Prunes are perfectly portable, too, a good choice for those days when you simply don't have time to stop.
Check out our recipe pages for healthy, and tasty, snacking inspiration!
Happy Autumn!
