Does The Winter Season Make You Fat?

As the holiday season comes to an end and winter is in full effect, most people are gearing up to work off all those holiday treats, which means lots of calorie-laden foods, like egg nog, turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and cookies.

For many, this means weight gain through the holidays.

Many people also start going into hibernation mode come dropping temps like we’ve seen lately.  They eat heavier foods. They gain (more) weight. They cozy up and hunker down.

There are numerous holiday parties that start after Thanksgiving leading up to Christmas.  Work parties, family parties, drinks with your girlfriends, neighborhood potlucks, the list goes on. And just when you think it will slow down, Christmas arrives, leading you into New Year’s Eve, and topping it off with Valentines Day.

Holy, more weight gain!  Continuous months of indulging and mindless eating and drinking.

So, how are you going to handle the duration of winter? Let's talk about some ways to combat the winter weight gain and to make the most of this season!

Fear not. Winter is a great time to detox, leading into the lightness of spring. We have talked about how a detox with the change of each season is a great practice. Doing a seasonal cleanse will help our bodies to remove any toxins that exist from stress, lifestyle choices, and even environmental factors.

Don’t forget to get your vitamin D.  The days get their shortest come winter.  Researchers at Aberdeen University found that obese people had 10% less vitamin D than people of average weight. The study also found that excess body fat absorbed vitamin D so the body couldn’t use it. Scientists now believe that there is a direct correlation between obesity and low levels of vitamin D. With that, get out there, even in the cold, and get your sunshine, if only for 10 minutes per day.  Vitamin D also plays an important role in the overall health of your thyroid!

Move your booty and continue exercising regularly. It can be as simple as taking a walk out in the snowy terrain, get to the gym if you can, or grab a set of weights for home workouts.  If you can get outside and move around, some of the benefits may outweigh those frigid temperatures.  

Sometimes you may not feel like it due to the cold weather, but hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. During the cold weather months, warm, heavy drinks are usualy a go to, but you can’t forget your water!!

Enjoy winter foods. Move toward the more warming winter foods and also emphasize the more warming spices and seasonings including ginger and peppercorns.

Here is a list of the seasonal foods of winter:

Avocado, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Endive, Escarole, Fennel, Grapefruit, Horseradish, Artichoke, Kale, Kiwi, Kohlrabi, Kumquats, Leeks, Lemons, Mandarin Oranges, Onions, Oranges, Parsnips, Pears, Persimmons, Potatoes, Radicchio, Rutabaga, Satsumas, Shallots, Sweet Potatoes, Tangerines, Turnips, Winter Squash

Enjoy them all.  Try new things.  Just remember, don’t let the couch lure you into curling up with the unhealthy comfort foods like creamy soups or mac and cheese.