Winter weight: Set sensible goals during holidays
Marjie Gilliam is an International Sports Sciences Master certified personal trainer and fitness consultant. She owns Custom Fitness Personal Training Services LLC. Send email to marjie@ ohtrainer.com.
Q: I want to avoid gaining weight over the winter, especially with being less active and eating more over the holidays. Any advice is appreciated.
A: You’ve already taken the first step, which is to set a goal. From here, it’s about putting together a sensible plan of action. Many people set rigid guidelines that are nearly impossible to attain, when a much better alternative is to take a step-by-step approach to success. How does this work?
Assess current activity levels and eating habits. Pinpoint one or two primary areas where you wish to make changes and make note of this in a journal or health/fitness log. Writing this down is important, giving you clarity and focus to the situations that contribute the most to weight gain. Look at patterns around food and exercise, and ask questions such as “What times of the day am I most/least active? How does this play into my eating habits? Which foods are the biggest contributors to my weight gain?
Once you have a clearer picture of the patterns that keep you from goals, you may see how diametrically opposed they are. We know that we desire an outcome, but our choices say something different. At this point we must be willing to unravel the reasons for the choices and begin to make real changes.
You may find that eating and exercise habits stem from feelings/emotions. “Mindless eating’ when bored, stress eating when anxious, lack of exercise when feeling depressed are a few examples. We rarely consume food for its intended purpose, survival, and instead, we eat for comfort. Human beings are wired to seek pleasure and avoid discomfort. Putting this into perspective, it is easy to see why we may find ourselves putting on extra pounds over the years. For those unaccustomed to a healthy lifestyle, the road to changing habits may seem especially difficult, prompting them to quit when discomfort is experienced. This crossroad can stop you from achieving or it can propel you forward. For those willing to face the challenge, the rewards are so great that reverting to old habits is extremely unlikely.
Approach is everything. Think of food as nutrition and exercise as maintaining independence. When associated primarily with weight loss, attention turns to the scale, food deprivation, and exercise feels like something you have to do rather than something you want to do. Thankfully, physical activity creates a very positive chemical change in the body and mind, relieving stress, depression and boredom, calming you when you need it, and energizing you when you are tired.
The bottom line is that exercise and feeding your body what it needs to achieve optimal energy levels, improved prognosis for numerous medical conditions and overall better health is something you don’t want to miss out on. Always remember that you are well worth any effort you invest in your well-being.