Tips to help you with your weight loss goals in winter

When it's cold and wet outside it's hard to stay motivated and keep fit. Our bodies have evolved with the seasons and we naturally crave warmer foods and fats and store them to protect our organs from cooler temperatures. In Summer, we are naturally motivated to head outdoors and get our bodies moving making it easier to achieve our weight loss goals.

If you are struggling to find the motivation to get moving and resist the comfort food cravings, try out these motivational tips and tricks to avoid winter weight gain.

Eat winter produce

Take advantage of all the delicious healthy foods Winter has to offer. Comfort food doesn't always have to be sugary cheat meals! There are so many hearty Winter greens and roost vegetables such as Kale, Broccoli and Cauliflower just to name a few, that you can make delicious warm meals with. Check out the recipe tab on our website for some healthy 'comfort' meals the whole family will love.

Work out at home

Who wants to venture out into the cold and exercise when it's cosy at home?! Luckily, you can still get your body moving in the comfort of your own home. There are tons of workout videos online from yoga to cardio! There are even a few workout videos on The Lady Shake Youtube channel from the challenge to help keep you going all year round.

Reach for healthy sugars

We tend to crave a bit of sweetness during the cooler months. Instead of reaching for artificial sugary goods, opt for high-nutrient, seasonal vegetables to give you the sweet taste your after! To name a few; beetroot, sweet potato and pumpkin are full of vitamins with some natural sweetness. Warm fruits are a great sweet treat too! You can roast apples, bananas or pears and add a sprinkle of cinnamon for a delicious, healthy treat.

Drink cold water

Good news if you drink cold water all year round! When you consume liquids that are cooler than your bodies natural core temperature, your body has to work to warm you up in turn burning more calories.

Sleep more

Sleep has so many benefits when it comes to weight loss and our overall health. A restless night of sleep can leave you feeling sluggish, tired and grumpy for the whole day. But did you know your lack of sleep is actually adding to your waistline as well? In 2012, a study found that people who regularly got 6 to 8 hours of sleep were two times more likely to succeed with their weight loss program than those who weren’t getting enough sleep. Get to bed early and wake up earlier to catch every sunlight possible. This has a positive on your sleep cycle plus more sleep stops you from that late-night snacking!

Order in vs dining out

According to a 2016 study in the Journal of Marketing Research, people tend to choose lower-calorie meals when they order their food an hour or more before eating (to account for delivery time) as opposed to ordering right before mealtime when they are hungry (while sitting in a restaurant). So it's a good thing if you didn't feel like leaving home to go out anyway!

Treat yourself!

We all reach for comfort food in winter, in particular, hot beverages. Well, the good news is you don't have to give up your hot chocolates altogether. Our choccy greens not only have 5 serves of veg with every scoop but taste even better than sugar-loaded traditional hot chocolate powder. Just add one scoop to a mug of boiling hot water or warmed unsweetened almond milk - You won't even know the difference!

Embrace the cold weather

Whether you're out running errands or going for a walk, exposing yourself to the cold winter temperatures encourages your white body fat which stores calories to act more like brown fat! This means that your body will burn more calories by generating heat. Now, we aren't telling you to freeze but facing a little bit of that icy cold weather can benefit your weight loss so it's not all bad right?

Remember your why

Determine what drives you to reach your weight loss goals. Is it to be a role model for your kids? Is it health-related? Is it to regain your confidence? Whatever your reason, constantly remind yourself why you are doing it! The journey may be hard but focusing on the personal reason that you choose to begin can make it much easier. Right it down somewhere you can read it every day and don't stop until you are proud!