Avoid the Winter Pounds by Following These Tips

You know when those holidays start creeping up on you.  Sometimes it’s the almost subconscious beginning of eating more and also making poor “comfort food” choices, that lets me know that I really have to start consciously fighting the appeal of “letting it all go” in the winter and for the holiday time.

The funny part is that this gluttony seems to start in November and not end until sometime in January, far outside of the span of normal holiday gatherings. I sometimes wonder if we humans tend to go into a sort of hibernation mode like some animals do, and this instinct kicks in a need for more fat and calorie-laden foods.  

Or maybe it’s all psychological and we figure what the hey, everyone’s pigging out, and there’s great food all around you, so you don’t want to deprive yourself of the good food and good times that go along with it.  Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that there is a strong correlation between the cold winter months and putting more padding on our bodies, figuratively speaking.

So what are you to do? Move to a consistently warm climate?  Of course not, unless that is what you prefer anyways.  There are a few things that if you consistently practice them, you can avoid packing on those winter pounds like most people do who live in less temperate climates, which happens to be the majority of us.  These tips will help you make it through those long winter months untouched by depressing and hard to take off pounds, and to keep a more even keel sense of your diet and well being.

The first tip is to find an indoor or outdoor suited hobby or physical activity that can be done year round that you enjoy.  If you like indoor activities, maybe try to buy a trampoline, or something fun that somewhat duplicates being outdoors and carefree, that you can do in the comfort of your basement or somewhere indoors.  

You might also want to try investing in other indoor activities or hobbies, like maybe buying a sauna or a hot tub, something that can occupy your time that you look forward to doing and that might encourage you to keep in the best shape you can even though you’re not donning those shirts and tank tops this time of year.  

We purchased an infrared sauna, and I can’t tell you how much I use it in the winter to escape the dreary doldrums of colder weather and simulate the summer time.  This kicks something in for me that tells my body to stay in shape and not overeat, so it definitely has a psychological effect by warming my body like the summer sun does.  

Some people swear by visiting a tanning bed every so often in the winter also. They say that it dampens the appetite and turns on those feel good chemicals that you may also get from eating naughty foods, but of course you’re not getting the caloric end of that by getting in a tanning.  This is of course controversial because of the adverse health effects of tanning beds, but it’s something to think about if you do it extremely moderately and know when to get out and not burn.

Try supplementing your diet with 5htp, a natural compound that is found in turkey and other natural foods, which soothes the nervous system and helps to elevate seratonin. Seratonin is a chemical produced by the body that can increase with sun exposure and also tends to be hard to come by in the winter months because of less physical activity and poorer diet.  It makes you feel good basically, and instead of turning to food for those comforting feelings, this can help fill that void and prevent you from craving foods constantly.

For even more will power, some people turn to self hypnosis CD’s, or sessions with a professional, to help them subliminally tune out the bad foods and overeating signals that they are constantly receiving in the winter time.  I’ve tried self hypnosis CD’s before, and they are a tremendous help when you feel like your surroundings are not the most supportive of healthy eating habits.  

Another natural supplement that you want to make sure you get enough of, whether in your diet itself or as a pill that you take, is a good fish oil omega 3 supplement.  Omega 3 fatty acids help to turn off the appetite and induce satiety quicker, making you feel full and satisfied more quickly so that you don’t indulge too much.

Essentially, the winter months tend to be filled with restlessness and boredom for many of us. When the cabin fever kicks in and the temperatures drop, we tend to turn to food increasingly for comfort and pleasure, but if you have the weapons in your arsenal to fight those urges, then you won’t be struggling to take off those extra ten to twenty pounds every spring before bathing suit season strikes any more.

Danna is a beauty, weight loss, and health products enthusiast who has several websites dedicated to these growing areas. Visit Horizon Elliptical Reviews for reviews on a very popular and economical elliptical trainer, and you can also visit tips on dieting and weightloss.

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