With winter rapidly approaching it means that we’re eating more and more every day in an effort to keep our energy up in order to keep our bodies warm. Then pair that with the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner, the next couple of months are going to be filled with food. So what can we do to stay in shape in these tempting times?
First, let’s start with exercise. There are a few quick and easy ways to burn up to 200 calories at a time. Grab a friend and have a quick dance party! Thirty-seven minutes of dancing with kill calories quickly.
Does your room need revamping? Spend 30 minutes moving furniture around and there goes another 200 calories down the drain. Or does it just need a cleaning? Around 40 minutes of vacuuming, sweeping and scrubbing will help you burn around 250 calories.
Do you know some good yoga poses? If not, sign up for a yoga class at the Strom because just 25 minutes doing yoga will burn 200 calories. Or if your car needs a clean, taking around 40 minutes to spruce it up with help you get rid of another 210 calories.
Want to get out of the house? Go grocery shopping! Forty-five minutes of pushing a cart around a grocery store will burn around 115 calories, carrying the bags in for around five minutes burns 45 and if you take 15 minutes or so moving about the kitchen putting things away, you’ll burn another 40 calories. Maybe you want to reward yourself for all the cleaning you did? Go to the bowling alley with a group of friends. An hour of bowling will burn around 250 calories.
Need a break from all that moving around? How about watching a musical? Pull out “Les Miserables” and sing to your heart’s content. If you sing for around an hour you’re burning about 140 calories. Rather a comedy? Twenty minutes of continuous laughing kills around 70 calories.
Now, what can you eat to help aid in all this on the side exercise?
Eat some oatmeal in the mornings on your way to class. Be careful which oatmeal you’re choosing and what you’re putting in it because you could easily load it up with sugar and gain those calories back. But if you’re feeling under the weather because of the winter blues, have a quick oatmeal breakfast. During the winter months, your body has a harder time of producing serotonin but oatmeal, and other carbohydrate rich foods, help keep your serotonin levels up and are a great way to stop craving sweets instead.
If the chilly winter air is making your skin dry out, just grab a handful of walnuts. They’re full of Omega-3 fatty acids which help keep your cell membrane healthy and strong. Other things you could eat that would work the same are salmon, tuna and flaxseed.
One great food to eat in the winter that will help aid in keeping your weight down is winter squash. A study found that those who routinely ate more fiber, like that found in winter squash, were less likely to be overweight than those who consumed less than the recommended 14 grams of fiber. Winter squash has about 9 grams of fiber in a one cup serving and it also serves to keep you feeling full for longer, which also keeps you from overindulging in other foods. Raspberries, whole grains and artichokes also work for this same purpose.
To keep yourself warm from the winter chill, grab a bowl of chicken soup, which will help you produce more energy. Really anything with chicken, whole grains, legumes or starchy vegetables in it will aid create more energy as your body will slowly digest the complex carbohydrates within them.
Eat well and exercise! Keep yourself from having to make a quick body comeback when summer rolls around!