(©Bonnie Schiedel. Originally published in Homemakers, November 2009)

These 12 tips will help you stay healthy.

Fall is a favourite time of year for many of us. After all, what’s not to love about crisp golden weather, vibrant leaves and snuggling in to cozy sweaters? Still, autumn sweeps in climatic changes that can affect you from head to toe. Here’s how to have your healthiest fall ever.

1. Fall into fitness

We often head into fall with great intentions to start exercising regularly—we’re back into a routine again after a relaxing summer and the cool temperatures make working out much more inviting. But all too often, life gets hectic again, rainy weather and shorter daylight hours kick in, and hey, there’s a new episode of House tonight. "The key to staying motivated is to have a plan," says Laurissa Manning, a Halifax fitness trainer. "If you’re into the new fall shows, watch them while on the treadmill, or doing crunches and push ups. Run stairs or jump rope during the commercials. Don’t make your exercise dependent on the weather—join a rec centre with an indoor track, a swimming pool or drop-in lessons. If your child is in a supervised activity, use that time to take a class yourself."

2. Outwit the candy bowl

Is that stash of Halloween candy calling your name? Eating just one snack-sized chocolate bar or package of licorice is fine – in fact, it’s even a good way of having a portion-controlled treat. But mindlessly dipping into the candy bowl at home or work quickly adds up to a lot of extra, empty calories, says Reisha Harper, a Vancouver registered dietitian. "Keep the candy somewhere fairly inaccessible, and then when the munchies strike, get just one package and take it with you." Out of sight really is out of mind: Research published in the International Journal of Obesity shows that office workers ate about two more pieces of chocolate when it was kept in a clear bowl or on a person’s desk, compared to an opaque bowl two metres away. People also consistently underestimated the amount of candy they ate from the closer bowl, so keep the wrappers in front of you so you can’t fool yourself.

3. Address allergies

Achoo! Don’t be so quick to blame your runny nose and streaming eyes on a fall cold. Often, the culprit is seasonal allergies, usually to ragweed pollen, as well as mould that lurks in piles of grasses, leaves and brush. While these allergies, often called "hay fever" tend to develop in childhood, they can sometimes make an unwelcome appearance when you’re an adult, says Dr. Susan Waserman, an allergist and professor in the clinical allergy and immunology department at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. Adult asthma tends to peak in the fall as well, possibly due to irritation from both outdoor and indoor allergens. "Good medication and air conditioning goes a long way," says Dr Waserman. Try an over-the-counter antihistamine, dry your clothes inside rather than on the clothesline, use a dehumidifier, curtail dust and do yardwork and exercise when pollen counts are at their lowest (check The Weather Network). Some people with ragweed allergies also experience an itchy mouth, lips and throat after they eat food like raw cucumber, banana, zucchini and melon. Known as Oral Allergy Syndrome, the reaction can be prevented by cooking the food, which destroys the protein that’s causing the problem.

4. Choose healthy fall fare

When the temperature starts to dip, cozy, comforting meals like cheesy casseroles, cream soups and big bowls of pasta help ward off the chill. They also contribute to the 200-300 extra daily calories we tend to consume in the fall and winter. "When you’re making your favourites, choose healthier ingredients such as whole-wheat pasta and lower-fat cheeses," suggests Harper. "Add more delicious, high-fibre beans to your chili and lots of vegetables to your lasagna." Visit www.homemakers.com to find healthy, tasty fall recipes like Prairie Fire Chili, Roasted Tomato and Escarole Lasagna and Autumn Vegetable Minestrone.

5. Banish warts

A plantar wart—a flat, slightly raised wart with several tiny dark dots, most often found on the heel or balls of your foot— is an unwelcome souvenir of a summertime dip at a public pool. "The rough non-slip surface around pools and in showers and change rooms pokes tiny holes or tears in your skin," explains Dr Benjamin Barankin, a dermatologist in Toronto. "The wart virus can live for a while on damp surfaces, so when you take a step into a puddle that contains the virus, it enters your foot." While some plantar warts do eventually go away on their own, others can become quite large and painful, plus you risk passing on the virus to others, so it’s best to take care of them. Dr Barankin advises first trying an over-the-counter wart medication that contains salicylic acid. Applying a small piece of duct tape to the wart may be worth a try too, although study results have been conflicting, he says. If the wart is still there after a couple months, a dermatologist or podiatrist can remove it with several applications of liquid nitrogen, which kills the wart by freezing it.

6. Soothe your skin

Dry, tight skin affects just about everyone during the fall and winter months. Fortunately, it’s simple to treat: turn down the thermostat (hot air is drier than cool air), use a humidifer and protect your skin from the wind with gloves and a scarf. Take warm baths and showers (hot water strips protective oils from the skin), using a mild soap or cleanser only on the areas that need it (ie armpits, face, feet and genitals). Apply a moisturizer right after you shower or bathe, while your skin is still damp.

7. Get into the right shoes

Women tend to make appointments with foot specialists in the fall, according to a recent report from the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Why? After wearing comfy sandals and running shoes all summer, making the switch to stiffer enclosed shoes can be a painful experience. A bunion—a sore, bony enlargement of the joint where the big toe meets the main bones of the foot—is often the culprit. While you might be destined to develop bunions thanks to your genes, tight shoes can exacerbate the problem. "There are a number of things you can do to relieve bunion pain," notes Dr Catherine Bulanda, a Calgary podiatrist. "Choose a structured shoe with enough room in the toe. Go to a shoe repair store to have a shoe spot-stretched to accommodate lumps and bumps. Over-the-counter silicon pads placed over the problem area can help, and custom orthotic inserts can relieve the pressure. However, the only thing that will get rid of a bunion is surgery."

8. Get your vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in Canada during the fall and winter months because our bodies require UV light to manufacture the "sunshine vitamin " —and we all know that sunlight across large areas of exposed skin is in short supply come November. Lack of vitamin D has recently been linked to a variety of health issues, ranging from multiple sclerosis and diabetes to various cancers and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as susceptibility to cold and flu. While Health Canada continues to recommend 200 IU of Vitamin D daily for adults under age 50 and 400 IU for adults over 50, a new report on daily dosages is due out in 2010. Other health organizations recommend substantially higher doses: the Canadian Cancer Society suggests 1000 IU a day for all adults during the fall and winter, and the Canadian Pediatric Society advises 2000 IU for pregnant and nursing women. (2000 IU is considered the tolerable upper limit.) Get your vitamin D in a multivitamin or supplement, or food sources such as one cup of milk (100 IU), 3.5 oz of cooked salmon (360 IU) and 1.75 oz of sardines canned in oil (250 IU).

9. Ease Foot Pain

Running around town all summer wearing thin flip flops often adds up to leg and heel pain in the fall. Flip flops lack arch support, so the wearer tries to stabilize the foot by "clawing" her toes, which hurts the balls of her feet and exacerbates existing conditions such as hammertoes, says Dr Bulanda. Clawing also strains the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that runs across the length of the sole. When that tissue gets inflamed, it causes stabbing foot and heel pain called plantar fasciitis. An anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofin can help reduce the inflammation. Dr Bulanda also recommends these strengthening and stretching exercises: 1. Point your toes to your nose until you feel a stretch in the back of the calf, and hold for three seconds, then release. Repeat. Don’t point the toe down. 2. Pretend your big toe is a pencil. Write the alphabet in the air, working your ankle through a range of motion.

10. Head out on a hike

Even the most dedicated couch potato gets the urge to hike in the fall, when the air is clear and the leaves are gorgeously colourful. "Before you begin your hike, walk a few hundred yards on level ground to warm up, then stretch your hips, hamstrings, quads and calves," says Emily Hunter, a Winnipeg physiotherapist. (See yardwork stretches below). If you have sore knees, try one or two Nordic walking poles (similar to cross country ski poles) for balance and to take the stress off your knees. The poles should be 70 per cent of your height.

11. Light up your life

Did you know that women are eight times more likely to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? SAD or the "winter blues" refer to a depressive episode triggered by reduced exposure to daylight in the fall and winter. Symptoms include feeling down and being unable to concentrate, low energy, oversleeping, carbohydrate cravings and weight gain. Getting more light is an important part of treating SAD, whether it’s going for a walk at lunchtime, putting your desk by a window or skylight, or spending 30 minutes or more in front of a special light (called a lightbox, about $200) that emits a specific wavelength of artificial light to help regulate the body’s melatonin and serotonin levels. New research suggests that a similar therapy, called "dawn simulation," where the artificial light (about $160) automatically turns on before you wake up and gradually increases over 90 minutes, is effective for people who don’t respond well to other light therapies.

12. Watch your back

Raking leaves, putting the garden to bed and other yardwork are inevitable fall chores. All that twisting, bending and lifting can lead to lower and mid-back pain, so make sure to warm up first with a short walk or bike ride around the block, take short breaks or switch to a different activity every 20 to 30 minutes. Do these stretches after your warm up, says Hunter:

Hamstring: Place your straight left leg on the seat of a sturdy chair and bend forward from the hip to stretch the back of the leg. Repeat on other side.

Hips: Bend your left knee and put your left foot on the seat of a sturdy chair. Do a lunge, then repeat on other side. Thigh: Stand on one foot and pull the other foot gently towards your buttock, holding on to your foot or shoe. Repeat on other side. Calf: Take a big step backward with your left foot, placing the sole of the foot flat on the ground. Repeat on the other side.

The extra hour of sleep you get from turning the clocks back may actually be a lifesaver. A 20-year Swedish study, published in 2008, found that the incidence of heart attack dropped in the first few days after the time change in the fall, and increased in the spring. Researchers speculate that the sleep disruption in the spring affects cardiovascular health.

Don’t fall for tanning salon claims that tanning beds are a safe source of Vitamin D. According to Health Canada, tanning beds may give off as much as five times the UVA (which is linked to skin cancer) as the sun, meaning that you’re getting a concentrated dose of a carcinogen.

Yet another reason to be concerned about climate change: longer, warmer autumns and increased air pollution spell trouble for allergy and asthma sufferers, warns a 2008 report published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.