Jingles are ringing,
Stars are shining.
It’s again that time of the year,
when squishy breeze we can hear.
Warm candy floss & Marsh Mellow,
whipping in my belly below.
Whispering the buzz
That winters have come
Knock-Knock – oh yes! The winters have come.
Weight Gain, Well, this is the time when we all want to pamper, cuddle ourselves and don’t want to look at weighing scale, rather want to give away on weighing scale completely, and why not as winter approaches we want to stay warm and cozy in our quilts, munch, and drink all or as many delicacies which are, mostly available in this time of the season.
Steaming hot Jalebi, Gulab Jamun, Gaajar ka Halwa, Mung Dal Halwa, Maal Pua, Saro ka Saag aur Makki ki Roti. Not only this as winters keep getting cold to chilly Instead of drinking a good amount of water on a daily basis one starts to refrain from having even an adequate amount of water. Instead, winter makes us crave a cup of hot coffee, hot chocolate, ‘Adrak Waali Chai’ (Ginger Tea), Kesar Badaam Milk malai maar ke and not to miss who does not like to top these drinks with cookies with it.
Distractions reach to its peak as not only cookies we love to drool over the chocolates, brownies, and not to forget our all-time favourite Christmas rum cakes and glass of wine while we enjoy the Christmas carols.
This is a time when we do all of the above and keep away from focusing on our health & taking care of ourselves. This winter let us do the other way round and welcome the New Year with an even stronger determination to live healthily.
We all are entangled with the cozy feel of winters and yes the weather does play a big role in pleasing us to be lazy, feel hungry now and then, and crave delicious food as well.
Studies indicate that we tend to eat more than usual when temperatures drop outside, our appetite in winters have the ability to overpower us leaving us completely mismanaged in terms of weight and in turn, leading to unwanted weight gain, by the time summer hits the door we find it tough or disappointed with a lot of guilt to get back into our summer outfits and summer body.
Let’s make this winter a turning point in our lives and let’s make an effort to stay healthy, if not decrease at least let’s not gain weight either. So it’s time to gain some insights so that we make winters a reason to be fit and awesome.
Weight Gain, Dropping temperature is one of the main reasons to increase food cravings, various studies also indicate when temperatures drop outside, the body temperature also drops and it does not find anything other than binging on delicious food to keep oneself warm. So it’s one of the quickest and easy ways to keep energetic and warm.
Hence, most of the time we end up binging on Junk food. Not to forget Junk food is food which is high in sugar, fat and salt content. These are the quickest and easy available food one craves to keep warm.
Any sort of food when consumed will boost metabolism, however, as the winter arrives we forget or at times are also unaware that we can opt for non-fattening food i.e. having salads, fruits and vegetables which too will help body temperature to rise as well, however, we not only end up binging on junk. As winters arrive the first thing we have on our mind is eating things like desserts as we crave sugar. And since winters are short-lived hence we feel the urgency or urge to consume, gulp, or hog anything and everything that is available around in winters.
Few tips to beat the winter cravings:
1 Do not compromise on physical activity; engage for a minimum of 20 minutes of work out either indoors or outdoors.
2) Find time to expose self in sunlight, this will keep us away from Vitamin D deficiency and exposure to sunlight will not let us feel lazy or lethargic.
3) Wake up at your morning time – do not oversleep due to the dropping temperature, though we all love our cozy bed, blankets, or quilts.
4) Do not let the water intake go for a toss rather always keeps a cup of warm water by your side, drive, work, or home.
5) Fill yourself up with a bowl of soup prior to your meal will help us not to overeat and hot soup will also keep your body warm. Relevant spices and herbs can also keep us away from catching a common cold and cough.
6) Choose fruits over sweets when you feel like binging.
7) Keep salad sticks for time and again hunger pangs.
8) Have a bowl of soup instead of having hot coffee over and over again.
9) Choose one day in a week as a detox day and try to eat or drink light for the entire day. This will help to balance out your weekly cheats too.
10) Keep minimalistic sugar intake. One can replace jaggery with sugar since jaggery is not only good for winters but also have many other health benefits.
11) Refrain from consuming packed food and opt for freshly homemade food, soups, juices, drinks etc.
12) Winters are a good time to have more protein on your plate as it helps you keep full for a longer time.
If we follow sincerely these quick, super easy, and doable tips we will find our self in the right body type and fit into all our old summer clothes from the last season.
Nothing will make us happy when we will see no weight gain on our weighing scale rather we witness weight loss, this gives amazing joy.
So friends, let’s get ready to follow a healthy lifestyle this winter and not overindulge into eating in order to keep oneself warm rather than follow the tips and report healthy weight loss.
Stay happy, healthy and summer body ready…
With loads of health, care and warm wishes!
Words by: Tanya S Kapoor,
Dietician and Nutritionist, Wellness By Tanya
Instagram: @wellnessbytanya
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