Fun and Fitness: Counteract season of weight gain
So the turkeys are all dead, everyone got to see their families and we've all gotten a tad plumper. Thanksgiving is the ultimate weekend. You eat, and then you sleep. You wake up from your screen saver nap, then you eat dessert. You watch TV for a bit and then you eat again. The next day, you either go to a relatives or your boyfriend/girlfriend's family's place to eat more. Then you take home Tupperware full of left-overs and have turkey sandwiches for the next month. After Thanksgiving we get Halloween. It's almost time for Oh Henry! and Kit Kat breaks. Moving right along, Christmas is just around the corner. This is the time for giving and the time for eating random foods and treats at multiple parties. Just to add insult to injury, wintertime will be soon upon us leaving many of us playing video games and lounging around more then we would normally like. We're all doomed. Then again, maybe we're just in for a challenge that we face every year.
People usually have small seasonal fluctuations in weight, but not major amounts. Although it's difficult to estimate, this may translate to about a three to four pound increase on average. Climate has a lot to do with it. Climate is literally in our faces and is always one of the most important environmental barriers to being physically active. Physical activity helps control weight gain and the majority of people are less physically active during winter, particularly we poor chaps here in the North Pole. Simply, weight gain is about energy in and energy out. We take in energy with our diet and expend energy through physical activity. Physical activity and diet should balance each other out; an imbalance can result in weight gain. So how can you prevent the pounds from packing on?
In winter, try not to change your diet. The winter season often leads people to eat more comfort foods rich in sugars and starches, further increasing the potential to gain weight. People may also feel less concerned about this weight gain during the winter months when public displays of the body are less likely. A loose sweatshirt, for example, easily conceals a few extra pounds. However, when the summer season kicks in, bringing along more opportunities to reveal the body such as swimming or a day at the beach, people tend to refocus their concerns over body image and as a result, refocus their outlook on nutrition. Of course, being active alongside a good diet contributes to making the weight control game a hell of a lot easier.
If you think you're less active than you should be, look at how to build more activity into your winter days. Look for what will stop you from being physically active and how you can overcome those barriers. Take small opportunities to increase physical activity. Get into purposely making active choices such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or taking a walk around the office instead of emailing people. Or try one of my personal favourites; play your little nephew in a backyard game of one-on-one soccer. Be sure to beat him at least 15-0 and show no mercy, only tuff love. Right before he gets really upset and bursts into tears, quit and call it a workout.
The key is getting into the habit of being active without really knowing it. It's not about doing anything drastic. It's about adopting a mentality of simple steps. It only takes effort until it becomes habitual.
People usually have small seasonal fluctuations in weight, but not major amounts. Although it's difficult to estimate, this may translate to about a three to four pound increase on average. Climate has a lot to do with it. Climate is literally in our faces and is always one of the most important environmental barriers to being physically active. Physical activity helps control weight gain and the majority of people are less physically active during winter, particularly we poor chaps here in the North Pole. Simply, weight gain is about energy in and energy out. We take in energy with our diet and expend energy through physical activity. Physical activity and diet should balance each other out; an imbalance can result in weight gain. So how can you prevent the pounds from packing on?
In winter, try not to change your diet. The winter season often leads people to eat more comfort foods rich in sugars and starches, further increasing the potential to gain weight. People may also feel less concerned about this weight gain during the winter months when public displays of the body are less likely. A loose sweatshirt, for example, easily conceals a few extra pounds. However, when the summer season kicks in, bringing along more opportunities to reveal the body such as swimming or a day at the beach, people tend to refocus their concerns over body image and as a result, refocus their outlook on nutrition. Of course, being active alongside a good diet contributes to making the weight control game a hell of a lot easier.
If you think you're less active than you should be, look at how to build more activity into your winter days. Look for what will stop you from being physically active and how you can overcome those barriers. Take small opportunities to increase physical activity. Get into purposely making active choices such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or taking a walk around the office instead of emailing people. Or try one of my personal favourites; play your little nephew in a backyard game of one-on-one soccer. Be sure to beat him at least 15-0 and show no mercy, only tuff love. Right before he gets really upset and bursts into tears, quit and call it a workout.
The key is getting into the habit of being active without really knowing it. It's not about doing anything drastic. It's about adopting a mentality of simple steps. It only takes effort until it becomes habitual.
