Winter is officially underway, bringing pesky seasonal ills and chills, miserable weather - and endless excuses.
"I can't go for a run in winter, I'll get sick"; "I don't have to wear sunscreen, it's not sunny"; "I don't have to go to work, it's too cold" - sound familiar?
Hacking winter can be hard.
Monday's episode of The Project went over four handy myth-busting do's and don'ts to help New Zealanders navigate through the cold, hard lies of winter.
Myth #1: No exercise in winter
"If you go out for a run in winter, you'll get sick for sure".
Not quite.
Richard Beddie, CEO of the Exercise Association of NZ, told The Project: "Exercise is one of the best things you can do to strengthen your immune system."
Myth #2: Bubs will be fine
"You've got nothing to worry about, everyone knows babies run hot - it's adults who need to worry."
BEEP. Wrong.
"Babies generate a heck of a lot of heat, but they lose heat equally as quickly," says Dr John Cameron from the Westmere Medical Centre.
Cameron suggests dressing bubs in one extra layer of clothing than you normally would, to help keep that perfect cosy temperature.
Myth #3: You don't need sunscreen
"You don't need sunscreen in winter!"
If a personal goal is to resemble a prune in later life, keep thinking that way.
"The need for sunscreen over winter is less than what you'd need in summer, but for skin that has been damaged by sun [whether it be frequent sunburn or other visible signs of sun damage] - you should be applying sunscreen on a daily basis," says Cameron.
Bonus Myth: To snog...or not to snog
If "no, I'm sick. I don't want to give it to you" is a go-to excuse for maintaining personal space, here's the justification behind it.
Professor Bruce Arroll from the University of Auckland says while kissing someone doesn't automatically infect the recipient with puke-carrying particles, "breathing in virus-laden breath" is best avoided - the smell itself is bad enough.
Now Kiwis are equipped with an arsenal of winter-tackling weapons, run off into the rain - and feel free to snog away.
Newshub.
