How to Prepare Yourself and Home for the Sydney Winter Months

With winter upon us, as usual Sydney meteorologists are predicting that Sydney is expected to experience it's coldest winter in decades.

As expected, people and retail stores are already getting ready for the winter rug up sales of jackets and heaters.

Winter can be a time of soggy socks, dreary wet weather, days spent inside and comfort foods.

Unfortunately, that can take a toll on your shoes, your fading summer tan, your waistline and your house.

Here are some awesome tips for preparing your home and lifestyle to take full advantage of the winter months. How to keep a waistline you're happy with and not have to do the yearly throw away of mouldy shoes and clothes. Also, you'll learn how to keep your place de-cluttered and clean during the coldest time of year.

Prepare yourself mentally

It's super important to make sure you prepare mentally for the winter months, make sure your mind and body are ready for the cooler temperature, gloomier days and lack of sunshine.

Use your phone's calendar to set a set schedule for your exercise, work and leisure time.

By doing this you'll find it easier to get through these miserable winter months.

Get out of the house

Make a plan every month to go to the Blue Mountains, the Northern Beaches and Central Coast for quiet weekends away.

Winter is a season of inactivity, so it's imperative you do everything you can to get out as much as possible.

The Blue Mountains is an amazing place to go hiking during the winter months.

Wentworth Falls, in particular, is simply breathtaking and the three sisters provide unrivalled views during the winter months, even if it gets a tad chilly.

Places like Leura, Umina and Kuring Gai National Park are must-visit places during the colder months of the year.

Leura has been described as a picturesque, mountain town with a "country-NSW" feel. It's quiet, boutique restaurants and vicinity to the beautiful Blue Mountains means that it's a gem to visit during the subtly chilly winter that blankets Sydney.

Continue reading for great tips on how to keep your home decluttered and your waistline down during the winter

Tidy your home every day

Ten minutes of cleaning and tidying every day on your arrival home from finish work will mean that the dreaded spring clean come September will be completely unnecessary.

So, where do you start?

Start with one room per day. Focus on the most cluttered room and work your way to the kitchen and living areas.

Every day, start a stopwatch and start cleaning once it's started and stop once it hits 10 minutes.

By doing this, you'll always be on top of the housework. When it comes to doing the big clean up in at the start of spring in September, you'll be able to skip it entirely or do considerably less.

Once a month, it's a great idea to go through your linen cupboard and clothes cupboard to dispose of any clothes you no longer need.

Now for the dreaded, winter diet.

Cook yummy warm food

Unfortunately, this is terrible for the waistline, this type of diet can make you more lethargic, and less active during the colder months.

To be able to keep yourself as active as possible during the winter months, you should focus on a diet that is sugar-free, with as little starchy carbohydrates as possible.

There are great winter fruits that can increase your vitamin intake and make you less lethargic during the months when Sydney is the coldest.

Fruits like Apples, Avocados, Rhubarb, Nashi Pears, Naval and Blood Oranges are not only great substitutes for the delicious baked goods you'd eat during winter but can provide extra vitamins for your body that you wouldn't get because of the lack of sun.

If you're having trouble keeping your home together during Sydney's coldest months, we'd love to help. For more winter guides, check out the following guides: Make your home insect-free this winter and 6 clutter-busting tips to beat the winter clutter bug.