When it comes to Winter Weight Gain, Think Spring!

As the weather starts to change and the days get shorter, the impending doom of winter weight gain starts to settle in. But what if you took a different approach this year? What if you took action now to ward off that extra winter layer before it has a chance to weigh you down?

Fat loss and muscle gain, the keys to a healthier you, do not happen overnight. They happen with persistence, sometimes intervention of professional help and everyone’s favorite, time. There are no magic potions to get you slim in time for bathing suit season, certainly not safely or with any long-term staying power if you don’t plan on starting until the spring weather breaks. The only way to plan for a better, healthier you by the time the weather is warm again, is to start today.

It’s no accident that all gyms have a warm weather specials, no one goes to the gym when it’s nice out! When it’s warm outside, you will want to be enjoying time outside with your friends’ and family, enjoying all the season has to offer. Butt, to enjoy these times without the guilt, lack of energy and overall “blah” feeling that comes with being overweight and out of shape, you have to start sooner rather than later. You deserve to feel at your best and only you can determine how and when the quest to being your best, begins.

Here are some tips on how to steer clear of Winter Weight Gain, before it has a chance to slow you down!

Spend the cold, dark winter mornings…at the gym. Getting sweaty and accomplishing your goals before the day begins is a great way to jumpstart healthy activity throughout the day. Where are you otherwise? In bed, postponing the inevitable. You have to get up anyway, it’s still going to be dark or close to it and it is still going to be cold. Get up and start moving to beat the clock and start the day off on the right foot.

Use the dark hours after work to…hit the gym. Sounds like I’m repeating myself? Nope. Not everyone is meant to get up before the break of dawn or for some of us, before 10am. With a commute and getting kids off to school, it may even be impossible. In terms of activity, your body clock may just work better later in the day. Pack your gym bag the night before or put a few days of clothes and gear in your car and plan squeeze in a workout before you head home. Set a goal of at least three times per week, more if you can swing it.

Get help with Nutrition, TODAY.  Pumpkin. Need I say more? Every time you see the word pumpkin, associate it with the warm spring breeze. Start to think of which one you really want and step away from the pumpkin flavored anything! You know this is a marketing ploy to get you to buy more sugary, processed, non-nutritive “foods”, right? If you are serious about your health, the only pumpkin you should enjoy is a carved up Halloween decoration, sitting on your front steps. Get help with your diet from a professional and steer clear of anything that is going to push you further and further away from your goals.

Plan Ahead.  Football Sundays, Thanksgiving, Holiday parties. They happen every year and it’s not healthy emotionally, to plan on avoiding them. We all need social interaction and these events will be a wonderful way to spend time with our loved ones. So, you can choose to use these events as an excuse to overindulge and set yourself back or you can plan to come prepared to conquer. Eat before you go, drink only water or limit yourself to one alcoholic beverage, be the designated driver! Enlist friends and family to make healthier, lighter dishes for everyone to enjoy, not just those watching their weight. Take control of your choices, before they control you!

So when it comes to the winter weight gain we all fear, there is no time like the present. Make smart choices today and give yourself the time you need to make a change for the better. When tempted to sleep in or indulge, picture yourself in April, did you start early and conquer or did you let the Pumpkin win?