You getting re Warmer... Juliette wills draws from personal experience to share her tips on how to stay warm and healthy this winter W inter: its the one word guaranteed to put fear into anyone with arthritis, because joints become more painful with the cold. So weve put together some handy hints on how to minimise the weathers effect on your wellbeing and, no, that doesnt mean simply staying in bed and turning up the heating! healthy eating We all know we should be following a healthy diet rich in fruit, grains and vegetables, and low in saturated fats andsugars but did you know some foods have extra health-boosting properties? Freshly crushed garlic has great anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties thanks to one of its components, allicin. However, it should be eaten raw for maximum effect. Try sprinkling crushed garlic on a tomato salad, but use sparingly! Some people recommend chewing fresh parsley after eating garlic to help get rid of the strong smell. Honey is wonderful for soothing a sore throat, but its also full of bacteria-blasting nutrients, and can have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Manuka honey is expensive but has much stronger healing properties than regular honey, so buy that if your budget allows. Soothe your throat with a teaspoon of honey, warm water and a slice of lemon. Cinnamon makes a circulation-boosting tea: place a cinnamon stick in water with a slice of lemon, a teaspoon of honey and two cloves. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Strain, and leave to cool for a minute or two before drinking. Itll also warm your hands! If you have trouble holding a mug steady with one hand, try a double-handled mug (available on Amazon www.amazon.co.uk). Make enough so you can have at least two drinks throughout the day you can reheat it on the hob if you leave it in the pan. Plus, nothing is more evocative of Christmas than the scent of cinnamon! wrap up warm It goes without saying that we need to wear more clothes in winter, but there are ways to keep toasty without looking like the Michelin man. Tip Wear a long-sleeved thermal T-shirt next to your skin. Add a short-sleeved cotton T-shirt over the top, then wrap up in a big cardigan or jumper. I buy my jumpers a size up so I can wear two layers underneath. Cashmere is super warming look out for it in the January sales! Tip If its cold but bright, leave the woolly hat at home and try a beret instead. As for gloves, go for lined leather over wool. They wont get wet, theyll keep you warm and its much easier to pick things up with leather than with woolly gloves. They also make good driving gloves. Fingerless gloves are great for wearing indoors, too. Tip Hand warmers are a great invention. You simply pop them in hot water and they release heat for hours (you can keep them in your pockets). Leg warmers are another undervalued, if rather 80s, accessory. Team them with skinny jeans, black tights or leggings (at home or at work) and youve got an instant, super-warm extra layer. Tip I swear by big cotton scarves, which also double-up as shawls. They are prettier than knitted scarves and much more versatile. Scarf by day, shawl by night (brilliant for reading in bed) and you can wear them anywhere and everywhere all year round. Tip Always make sure your bedroom is as warm as you need it to ensure a good nights sleep, adds Dr Raj Sengupta from the Royal Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath. the importance of exercise and rest There are benefits to braving the outside world despite the elements. While walking is the best form of exercise, because it increases heart rate and improves circulation not to mention giving you a good shot of fresh air to clear your head you would be forgiven for wanting to curl up inside when its cold and wet. Thats only more likely to make you feel as miserable as the weather, however. A rheumatologist at the University of Pennsylvania studied the effects of yoga on people with knee osteoarthritis, and found that those taking 90-minute, Iyengar yoga classes once a week reported significant reductions in pain, and improvements in physical function. For any inflammatory arthritis, winter can be a tough time, says Dr Sengupta. Keeping warm and maintaining a regular programme of stretches and exercises is of greatimportance. Remember, the cold weather is also a good excuse for a little indulgence. Curl up under a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book or film sometimes its the simplest pleasures that help us block out the pain.