I love winters! Winters are the time for holidaying and celebration. Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and many more- you name it. We meet our family and friends and forget about the weight that we gain eventually. Also, Winters means sipping hot chocolate and slurping hot soups and just lying lazy and cozy in your bed, isn’t it! but hey guys, wait, this is also adding extra pounds to your weight.
Winters do play a vital role in gaining weight. there is no sunlight and this might lead to a lack of vitamin D in the body and this triggers weight gain. I think this affects our mood also. We hide in the cozy shell of our house. There is a lack of activity and exercise, eating more warm and comforting foods, and since it is the holiday season we are just overboard with sugary baked foods, candies, and what not!! Every little bit adds up!
Uhh, It really becomes challenging to overcome this gained weight. Here I am suggesting a few super easy ways (i have tried them myself also) that can help you in weight loss during winters.
1. INDOOR EXERCISES
So what if you cannot go out to the gym, you can exercise at home. Those increasing inches are a motivation that you must shed those extra pounds, else you will have to do away with that beautiful bodycon dress! You can practice yoga, Zumba, dancing, skipping rope, or jazzercise. Yogasana like VAJRASANA helps indigestion. balasana, BHUJANGASANA, TRIKONASANA, and many more can be easily practiced.
2. ADEQUATE SLEEP
You know what! inadequate sleep leads to weight gain. So if you are trying to keep your weight managed you should keep in mind that you should take good quality and adequate sleep. Irregular and inadequate sleep reduces the efficiency to work, performing any type of physical activity, and gyming can be less safe. Reduced sleep increases the urge to eat more and hence weight gain! The sleep of 7 hours is ample for keeping yourself fresh and healthy.
3. LUKEWARM WATER
Our body is 70% water. From here we can well estimate the importance of water for the body. Water is important to carry out many functions in the body and if you intake lukewarm water, it can do wonders for your body. Though warm water can be taken anytime during the day, especially in winters, if you drink 2-3 glasses the first thing in the morning, it can really boost your metabolism and help in burning those extra flaps around your waist and hips! Secondly, warm water helps to remove toxins from the body and gives a push to our metabolism. Kidneys are cleaned and this also keeps the skin well hydrated and radiant. Drinking a glass of lukewarm water 30 minutes before meals reduces appetite and manages your calories.
4. LIGHT DINNER
I just do not understand why some people skip their dinner!! I simply can’t. If all the internal organs are doing their work, lungs, kidneys, and heart, they need the energy to perform their function well. so you must eat the last meal of the day. But yes, it should be a light one. You don’t have to eat like a horse. But like a bird!
Skipping dinner is thought to be an easy way to lose weight and shed extra kilos. But on the other hand, it also slows down the rate of metabolism and leads to weight gain instead. You should have your dinner at the proper time, I mean not very late. Ideally, you must take it by 7 pm. actually, dinner timings depend upon the time of sleeping. Dinner should be done 3 hours before going to sleep.
5. CONTROL YOUR SWEET TOOTH
In order to lose weight, you will also have to control your sweet tooth! Winters are the time to celebrate and enjoy and during this time we are eating lots of sugary and sweet foods. Sugar has a high content of carbohydrates. So consuming less sugar and sugar-containing foods like potatoes, rice, wheat, etc, helps a lot in managing weight. Cold drinks, cakes, chocolates, ice cream, butter, candies, etc should be eaten wisely.
6. GREEN TEA
You might be wondering that how could green tea help you to lose weight in winters. But yes, this is true and you will be amazed to see the results that it has on your body. You can make a variety of green teas at home or buy instant teas from the market. They have an edgy taste and various health benefits. Cinnamon tea, matcha tea, lemon and honey tea, cinnamon turmeric tea, cinnamon lemon tea, etc, etc …you can just make one with your own ingredients that you like. You can have them in the morning or in the evening. Drinking 2-3 cups of green tea in a day is helpful in your weight loss regimen. Green tea is an antioxidant and boosts metabolism. Moreover, it is calorieless. It gives good results if consumed after the meals.
7. WALK AFTER MEALS
A brisk walk of 20-30 minutes is quite refreshing after the meals and it also helps in weight loss and burning some extra calories. It reduces gas and bloating. It improves digestion but you should not walk immediately after having your meals. This can be done about half an hour after your meal. This is because the energy of the body is then utilized in walking which otherwise must be used for the digestion of food. Walking also regulates blood sugar levels. It is a mood booster and reduces stress and anxiety. Overall it helps to improve mental health along with weight loss.
CONCLUSION
If you are on your weight loss journey, you should keep yourself motivated and winters should not be a hurdle in it. You can stay healthy and fit with a little bit of care and proper management of your schedule. Eat well and healthy and stay fit. After all “You are what you eat.”
A cup of Fitness 