The holiday season has passed, and many people are now determined to lose weight. While the start of the year is an excellent time to reflect on lifestyle habits and make healthy changes, winter may present unique challenges for weight loss. This article provides effective strategies to help you shed those extra pounds even during the colder months.
Understanding Winter Weight Gain
During winter, our bodies naturally crave more calorically dense foods, or rich foods. In the colder weather, we’re more inclined toward sleeping and resting for longer periods. This is because, in the winter, there are ways to make healthy, nourishing, calorically balanced meals to suit those warm, comforting, cozy cravings.
Strategic Adjustments for Winter Weight Loss
Here are several strategic adjustments that can make it possible to shed those extra pounds even during the colder months:
1. Indoor Workouts
When outdoor activities aren't feasible, indoor workouts become an excellent alternative. Join a gym or take fitness classes like Yoga, Pilates, or spin classes. If the gym doesn’t appeal to you, there are numerous online resources and apps that offer guided home workouts. Mixing cardiovascular exercises, strength training, and flexibility workouts helps maintain a balanced fitness routine.
Before having transplant surgery, exercise will help you to maintain strength and energy. After a transplant, exercise can help you return to your normal level of physical activity more quickly. Cardiovascular exercise is a type of exercise that focuses on increasing your heart rate and building your endurance. Resistive exercise uses resistance (body weight, bands, or weights) to build strength in your muscles. Both types of exercise have important benefits before and after transplant. An exercise program should include both cardiovascular and resistive exercises.
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Here are some tips to keep in shape over the winter (and year round):
- Go for the goals. Remind yourself of your goals for exercise and staying in shape. Do you want to be able to walk the dog farther? Do you want to be able to play with your grandchildren? Do you want to feel healthier? Do you want to be able to pick up a suitcase by yourself? By starting with goals in mind, you are more likely to succeed.
- Bring fitness indoors. During the winter months, you may not be able to exercise outside, but there are many ways to stay active and warm. You can walk laps at the mall, take a fitness class at the gym, join a community dance class, lift weights, work out to a video at home, or even just dance. The most important component of an exercise program is finding something that you enjoy. If you’re having fun, you will be more likely to stick with exercise.
- Make the most of winter. While it’s easy to bring fitness routines indoors, perhaps you want to get outside and enjoy the winter months. If you are in good health and your doctor is agreeable, try some more daring winter sports. You could sign up for ice skating lessons, cross-country ski, or snowshoe. If you are not feeling as adventurous, get outdoors and build a snowman with the younger members of your family. Even just shoveling the snow and other winter chores count as exercise. Be sure to bundle up!
- Partner up! Enlist your friends and family as exercise partners. Set a date to meet a friend at the gym and you’re much more likely to follow through. Instead of meeting a friend for a meal or coffee, consider an exercise date. You could meet at the mall to walk briskly and window shop. Try stepping out of your comfort zone with a friend and take a dance or yoga class. Exercise can be social and fun.
- Pencil it in. Be deliberate about scheduling exercise and fitting it in, even when you’re busy. Once you write down exercise in your calendar, it becomes part of your schedule for the day and this can help you achieve your fitness goal. Additionally, track your exercise in a log. Seeing your achievements and progress will be very motivating.
- Don’t let a lack of time get you down. When your schedule is busy, remind yourself that exercise does not have to take long. There are many simple ways to increase your physical activity. Instead of using an escalator or elevator, take the stairs. Park your car farther away from the building to increase your steps. When your favorite song comes on the radio, dance for a minute or two. While you’re brushing your teeth, tighten the muscles in your bottom and thighs. Practice standing up from a chair without using your arms.
2. Mindful Eating
Eating in winter is more focused on how it makes you feel - rather than satisfying a physical need. That big bowl of pasta is all the more appealing when it’s approaching zero degrees. Instead, plan meals and focus on a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Soups and stews can be hearty and healthy - an easy respite from the wintery conditions. Include plenty of fibre and protein to keep you feeling full and satisfied.
- Listen to your body: Pay attention to hunger cues and eat when you're truly hungry.
- Avoid distractions: Turn off the TV and put away your phone while eating.
- Savor each bite: Chew your food slowly and enjoy the flavors and textures.
- Check in with yourself: Because this habit is frequently due to boredom rather than hunger, Thompson suggests checking in with yourself about why you’re eating. Thompson says, “We’re not always intentional with food. When we turn to food for any reason, without knowing that’s what we’re doing, that’s when we get lost in the food.
3. Stay Hydrated
You might drink less in winter as you’re less likely to feel thirsty, but the recommended daily intake of water isn’t based on the season. Staying hydrated is crucial for weight loss, even when it's cold outside. Some research even suggests it helps burn calories. Aim to drink at least eight glasses of water daily. For a seasonal touch, consider warm beverages like herbal teas, which can keep you hydrated and warm.
4. Manage Stress
Winter can be stressful due to holidays and shorter days, leading to emotional eating and weight gain. It's easy to feel like time slips away when you wake up before dawn, rush off to work in the dark, and then leave only to find the day has vanished into night. Adequate sleep is also vital, as lack of sleep negatively impacts metabolism and hunger hormones.
- Practice relaxation techniques: Meditation, deep breathing, and yoga can help reduce stress levels.
- Engage in enjoyable activities: Make time for hobbies and activities that you find relaxing and fun.
- Get enough sleep: Aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night.
5. Avoid Sedentary Habits
As the cold weather sets in, it can be tempting to retreat under a blanket and stay indoors, but this often leads to increased sedentary behaviour. To counteract this, make a conscious effort to move regularly, even when you're cosy inside. Setting a timer to remind yourself to get up and stretch or take a short walk every hour can be helpful. If you work from home, consider incorporating standing or walking meetings into your routine. By staying active, you can find a way to stay warm and healthy during the winter months.
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6. Plan Ahead for Festivities
The festive season can be challenging for weight loss. Plan ahead by making healthier versions of favourite dishes and controlling portion sizes. Enjoy treats in moderation but balance them with healthier choices and physical activity.
- Offer to bring a healthy dish to gatherings: This ensures there's at least one nutritious option available.
- Limit alcohol consumption: Alcoholic beverages are often high in calories and can impair judgment, leading to overeating.
- Focus on socializing rather than food: Engage in conversations and activities to take the focus off eating.
7. Embrace Seasonal Activities
Staying active in winter is easier with seasonal sports. Skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating provide fun and effective workouts. These activities burn calories, improve cardiovascular health, and enhance muscle tone. They also offer a great way to enjoy the winter scenery outdoors.
8. Stay Motivated
Set realistic goals and track progress to stay motivated. Joining a weight loss group or finding a workout buddy provides support and accountability. Shared discomfort in the cold can be a bonding experience. After all, those people braving the sea on blustery winter mornings must be getting something out of it. There are also plenty of ways to regain motivation, such as celebrating the small wins or getting support from a friend or professional if you’re struggling.
- Reward yourself for reaching milestones: Choose non-food rewards, such as a new workout outfit or a relaxing massage.
- Focus on the positive: Celebrate your successes and don't dwell on setbacks.
- Remember your "why": Remind yourself of the reasons why you want to lose weight.
Nutritionist's Advice
Natalie Thompson, a certified nutrition specialist and certified wellness coach at UR Medicine’s Center for Employee Wellness, explains why you might be fighting nature when dieting in winter. While the term “diet” now suggests counting calories and skipping dessert, it also refers more simply to the kind of foods a group of people eat. “Restrictive diets are very ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ and they often fail because of the lack of choice,” Thompson explains. Diets can also fail if they’re not aligned with the body’s natural inclinations.
“In the winter, there are ways to make healthy, nourishing, calorically balanced meals to suit those warm, comforting, cozy cravings,” Thompson says. When the weather gets warmer, we naturally want to eat lighter foods. No matter the season, try to include protein, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables in each meal. For example, many people snack on unhealthy foods late at night.
Read also: Beef jerky: A high-protein option for shedding pounds?
Additional Tips for Healthy Eating
- Eat less fat and sugar.
- More fruits and vegetables.
- Whole grains instead of processed.
- Lean proteins, such as beans, fish and poultry.
- Low-fat or fat-free milk products.
- Choose complex carbohydrates: These are a great source of fiber, which is essential for maintaining healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as well as aiding with regular bowel movements.
- Limit juices: The truth is that most juices contain added sugar and provide unnecessary calories to your diet.
- Don't skip breakfast: A balanced breakfast is an integral part of any daily diet.
- Include calcium-rich foods: Milk and other dairy products are great sources of calcium, as well as potassium and other vitamins and minerals necessary for overall health.
- Choose a variety of protein sources: During the holidays, you can choose from a variety of low-fat protein foods, including seafood, lean poultry, eggs, beans, peas, soy products, nuts and seeds.
Springing into Action: Transitioning from Winter
It’s pretty common to let healthy habits go on winter break, but come spring, you may notice your clothes are a bit tighter or you lack the energy for new, warm-weather adventures. Spring happens to be an excellent time to put some healthier habits in place: the warmer weather is perfect for increasing your activity levels and the longer hours of sunshine mean you can safely spend that extra active time outdoors. Plus, your farmer’s market will usher in some new produce with the season change, and many of those options (think: asparagus, spring peas and strawberries) freshen up your menu. One more thing to love about spring: No one’s pushing heavy holiday food week after week. If your healthy habits need some dusting off, here are five ways to get healthier and take off winter weight this spring.
- Connect with your motivation: Explore your personal reasons for taking off these extra pounds now.
- Think about your drinks: Cut way back on sugary soft drinks, frozen coffee drinks, lemonade, sweetened teas, sports drinks, and even iced matcha lattes.
- Veg Out: Eat more whole foods and especially more veggies, and cut way back on overly processed and super sugary stuff.
- Have a snack strategy: Most people need just one or two snacks a day, and they should be timed to when you’re going the longest stretch between meals.
- Try this one rule of intermittent fasting: Put a hard-stop on eating within two to three hours of bedtime.