Are you thinking of hiding a few extra winter pounds you suspect are on the way? How about instead of hiding your fat, you stay fit & fab naturally in winter this year? So, to help you keep your weight in control, we’ve found some strategies that target the real reasons for winter gain. With approaching of winter, its easy to gain weight with meals of higher calories and fat and the changes of food habit can lead to weight gain. That is why we have come up with some simple steps that can help you to ward off your winter weight. Checke’m out!
Soak Up Some Sun
Lack of sunlight can trigger a drop in the mood and can lead you into depression, anxiety and cravings. Sunlight produces serotonin in the body, a chemical that helps to boost your mood. So, try to get as much natural light as possible. For instance, drink your morning cup of coffee outside or by a window. You can also get up early in the morning and take at least 15 minutes to walk under morning sunlight to get some vitamin D.
Move More Indoors
Studies have shown that people who are active outdoor in summer or spring working in their gardens for instance, drop that activity in winter. But you’re eating the same amount of food as you did in July and you’re not moving around as much. So, if you are eating the same calorie and not moving that means you are gaining weight and leading the scale to inch up. Find an indoor activity you love so much that you’ll do it often such as dancing, push ups, skipping or yoga to keep that extra weight off your body.
Don’t Cut Out Carbs
Make sure your serotonin level doesn’t drop low enough to trigger an all-out binge. In this case, you’ll want to eat some carbs. Serotonin dips and cravings tend to start at late afternoon and early evening and give in to what your brain demands. Have starchy vegetables like baked potatoes, corn, squash, pasta, bread etc. In short, carefully time & tackle your carbohydrate attack, and eat the good complex carbs and avoid low processed junk.
Focus On Whole Food
Always avoid junk foods and try to eat unprocessed and whole food. The healthier foods are consist of shorter ingredients. Prepare your balanced diet by adding seasonal vegetables and nuts in your cooking menu. Sometimes shakes & protein powders are useful. But always try to consume foods as mother nature intended.
Deny High-Calorie Comfort Foods
Try to avoid high calorie comforting foods in winter as much as possible. As soon as the summer goes temperature starts getting colder and you want to go for the comfort foods. The foods we are talking about the pecan pie, turkey stuffing, creamy soups, apple crisp and mashed potatoes. To have a healthy diet you should hate those extra calories if you want to fit in your jeans. You need to resist yourself from the seasonal special dishes and there are plenty of diet recipes made for the people like you to win the weight loose challenges in this winter.
Hydrate
In the winter drinking of water might reduce habitually compared to summer. Always try to fulfill your thirst with water because sometimes people tend to confuse hunger with thirst. Make a schedule or alarm of reminding yourself for drinking water and drink minimum 8 glasses of water per day. Because drinking much water may keep your hunger stay off.
Proper Sleep
It is vital to sleep for good health and maintaining a balanced weight just like the healthy diet and exercising every day. You need a minimum of eight hours of sleep daily. Lack of proper sleep can lead you to more hunger hormones which causes you to eat more and eventually weight gain. Quality sleep is essential for appetite controlling hormone and also helps restoring your metabolism.