Winter is the time when your body craves for soothing and warm foods (mac and cheese, we know!) and lots of cozier me-time curling up in the bed. While going out for a jog or a run seems like an impossible task, working out at home also needs a lot of motivation. All thanks to the bleak and cold weather! Added to this are the trail of festivals and parties that precisely mean overeating the not-so-healthy foods.
All these factors make winter the time of the year when you put on those extra pounds. Though weight gain differs from person to person, studies show that on an average, people gain about 3–4 pounds during winters. Below are some tips which help you lose weight, or rather, guide you to avoid putting on weight during winters.
How To Lose Weight In The Winter
1. Eat Warm Foods
Many diets swear by cold salads, vegetable juices, and fruits to keep a check on weight during winters. But, all your body wants is something warm and comforting. Our bodies are designed well to accommodate the seasonal foods which the geography offers, without having any side effects. Therefore, ditch those cold salads and opt for soups, dense root vegetables, spices, and herbs.
Bake sweet potatoes, roast the beets, and steam winter pumpkins and squash for their abundant nutrients and mild natural sweetness. A cleansing broth also does wonders.
2. Avoid Alcohol
It goes unsaid that every festival or celebration involves alcohol. And alcohol is loaded with calories, which are easy to consume in one go while being unaware.
Though avoiding alcohol is the best bet, you could alternatively drink a glass of water or diet soda before and after drinking alcohol. This dilutes your calories and also keeps a check on your alcohol intake.
3. Add Some Good Fat To The Diet
Healthy fats are essential for your body to maintain a strong immune system. They also ensure the absorption of vitamin A, D, and E required for a healthy nervous system. As winter brings both seasonal allergies and mood swings, enriching your diet with good fats helps. They not only keep you away from unhealthy trans fat but also regulate your body temperature.
Avocados, unrefined coconut oil, hemp seeds, olives, olive oil, organic clarified butter, and flax seeds are the best sources.
4. Be Physically Active
We all agree to the fact that we feel sluggish and lazy to stick to our normal workout regimen during winters. The trick is to shorten your sessions and practice them thrice a day. Trying out indoor exercises like yoga, martial arts, and indoor rock walls is also a good option. Hot yoga is perfect for winters, as the temperature settings and rigorous workout help you be fit and warm at the same time.
5. Avoid Going Hungry To A Party
Carbs and trans fats are every party’s warm hosts. Going hungry to a party is simply giving yourself an invitation to gorge on these unhealthy options. Research indicates that we tend to eat 40% more calories when we go to a party empty stomach.
Munch on some baked sweet potatoes or steam cooked green vegetables before going to the party. These being rich in complex carbohydrates keep you full for a long time and help avoid overeating.
6. Sleep Early, Wake-up Early
During winters the natural body clock tends to slow the metabolism with the setting sun. Getting more sleep before 12 in the midnight and waking up early have proven health benefits. This habit uplifts your mood and keeps you active throughout the day. Waking up early also lets you get some early morning sun, rich in vitamin D.
Apart from these, not skipping your meals, ditching the fad diets, drinking hot tea or water often help you keep those extra pounds at bay.
