The phrase “winter weight” exists precisely because it’s so common to gain a few pounds and lose some physical fitness over the winter season. But, if you’ve worked hard for your summer body, there’s no reason to lose all your results this upcoming winter. In fact, there are plenty of things you can do to ensure you stay in peak shape over the colder months.
Here are just a few of them:
- Watch those holiday meals. When the whole family gets together and there’s delicious food on the table, it becomes a little harder to muster up the willpower to keep up with your healthy eating habits. One good strategy is to load your plate with the healthiest options (fruits and vegetables) first, counting on the fact that you’ll get full before you have the chance to overindulge on the less healthy foods. Or, set a rule for yourself that you’ll wait 15 minutes after you’re done with your first plate before reaching for seconds. This will give your brain a chance to catch up to your stomach.
- Be careful about your alcohol intake, which also tends to go up around the holidays. Alcohol is full of calories but has no nutritional value, and it’s easy to consume an extra 500 liquid calories or more without even realizing it.
- Find an indoor exercise you enjoy. It’s much easier to stay fit in the summertime, when there’s a whole host of fun outdoor activities to do. Winter, and especially Chicago winter, tends to keep people cooped up inside, which nearly always means less chances exercise. But, if you find an indoor activity you enjoy, you’ll likely be able to keep more fit over the winter season. Or, embrace a new winter sport like skiing or ice skating, that will get you excited about spending time outdoors in the wintertime.
- Don’t forget about sunlight. Lower levels of light and more time spent indoors during the winter season mean less Vitamin D, which helps to keep skin healthy and also helps you feel happier (which in turn affects your life in a variety of positive ways). Seasonal affective disorder (aptly abbreviated to SAD), occurs in some people when they don’t get enough sunlight over the winter months in northern climates.
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Beating the winter blues means keeping your body’s nutritional needs satisfied. Getting plenty of fruits and vegetables will give you the vitamins you need to keep your energy levels up and maintain an active lifestyle.
More than anything else, try to maintain your spring/summer lifestyle as you enter the winter months. Many people feel like they “fall off the wagon” by overindulging during the first few holidays, and then mentally throw in the towel, giving themselves no limits for the rest of the holiday season only to have to start dieting and exercising from scratch when spring arrives. Don’t fall into this trap, even if you have a few holiday slip-ups—they happen to everyone. Instead, get back to your healthy lifestyle as quickly as you can after overindulging, and your body will thank you come springtime.
