We all know that winters are not the ideal weather to lose weight as compared to summers where the cold weather becomes a hindrance to losing weight.
Working out in winter always seems to be a headache for most people since staying cozy becomes our priority but that also makes us lazy and prone to weight gain way faster than you can think of.
Losing motivation to exercise and lose weight is very easy in winter but that doesn’t help your health.
So, in this article, we will study the ways you can lose weight in winter before losing motivation to do so while helping you stay in shape.
Weight Loss Tips
Before discussing the exercises and other important factors to keep in mind to lose weight in winter there are a few vital tips to follow to adequate benefit from the workout you follow
Keep Your Body Warm
Winters tend to keep your body cold and the cold temperature of the body in this environment can be a potential risk to your body and health.
Performing exercise with a cold body temperature that does heat up your body but explodes into high-intensity exercise just after being open to cool temperatures isn’t a good sign for your health.
So, do remember to keep your body warm before you start your workout. Your body should be in the range of normal temperature before you warm up.
As you indulge in your exercise and your body heat keeps rising you can remove the layers of clothes on your body accordingly.
Stay Hydrated
The thirst in you is the same as it is in the summers, the only difference is that it is not much noticeable in winter.
Your body always needs the same amount of water [1]irrespective of the weather, so do not forget to keep yourself hydrated.
Since working out also evaporates the water resources in your body. In winter, you should stick to water more than sugary drinks since that will help you more than the other drinks would.
Keep Yourself Dry
In winters, sweat tends to cool down your body temperature when in contact with your skin through a cloth.
For instance, a sweaty cotton t-shirt holds the moisture of your sweat and keeps your body temperature cold when in touch with your skin.
So it is recommended to wear sweat-absorbent t-shirts to stay dry in winter while working out.
Do Not Push Too Far
While working out you need to be aware of your body’s needs, you should be aware of when to stop the exercise.
If you feel the symptoms like a weak pulse, shivering, or nausea you immediately should stop and head indoors to gain warmth.
Stop the exercise there itself to get some rest and get better. Do not push your limits to an extent where you may need medical attention.
Weight Loss Food
In winters we tend to eat food to comfort ourselves despite the carbs and calories they bring along but to stay fit we need to eat healthily and plan our diet well to lose weight and stay in proper shape.
Some food items you can consume that are super healthy and may even comfort your belly are Brussels sprouts, Citrus fruits like oranges, Oatmeal, Cabbage, squash, Nuts, and Seeds.
Seeds such as flax seeds and chia seeds could be beneficial. But on the other hand, you should also make yourself aware of the side effects of flax seeds so that you do not overdo them.
You can use these food items in a variety of combinations and many dishes to stay healthy and even eat comfortably. Few other food items that may help you maintain weight are
Carrots
Carrots are a great food product to help you to lose or maintain weight since they are fiber-rich due to which the body takes time and energy to break them down and digest the fibers.
Due to this, the person tends to stay full[2] on stomach and eat junk less helping you to maintain the weight or even lose it.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon, a spicy stem, is a great way to keep yourself warm since cinnamon itself is a warm spice but the fun fact is that it also helps you to lose weight.
This spice shoots up your metabolism naturally. The study[3] states that it specifically triggers the metabolism of fatty visceral tissues which then reduces your weight drastically.
The contradicting fact is that in cases where your insulin is resisted by the body, it metabolizes the sugar in your body faster which then helps you to gain weight.
Guava
This tasty winter fruit is one you can never be satisfied with. Guava, just like carrots, is very rich in fibers[4] and they tend to fill 12 per cent of your recommended fiber intake.
It has been listed as one of the best weight loss fruit that could assist in natural weight loss.
While it also boosts up your digestive system, we all know that digestion is very vital for the metabolism which helps in the reduction of weight in our body.
Beetroot
Beetroot also has dietary fibers that help in reducing and maintaining weight. Just a little bit of beetroot can help you reduce a considerably big chunk of calories.
Beetroots are a very delicious food product for your winter weight-loss session and they go very well with salads of all types.
The only note to be taken is that this fruit gives its full benefit to a person when used ripened and fresh, says the study[5].
Weight Loss Tricks
Shivers
This trick[6] will help you in losing weight faster while also helping you through your exercise. All you have to do is go outside in the afternoon for a walk when the proper sun has not set.
The bearable winter weather will make you shiver a little but not alarmingly, which done for 10 to 15 minutes can burn many calories in the body.
Avoid Warm Water
As weird as it sounds, drinking warm water rather gives your body no benefit. It is a proven study[7] that if a person works out regularly, drinking cold water is beneficial for him/her.
Since drinking water colder than body temperature makes your body work harder on warming the water up which in turn burns a lot of calories.
Do Household Chores
As surprising as it may seem, indulging in household chores can help you burn a heavy amount of calories.
While keeping your body in constant activity makes your body muscles move and work, they help you to burn calories.
Every single household chore like cleaning, mopping, dusting, and washing can help you burn lots of calories even if you do not go for exercise outside in cold weather.
Consume Hot Soup
While hot soups help you keep warm throughout the winter season and provide comfort there are many health benefits connected to them.
Studies[8] have shown that drinking hot soups during the winter season improves your blood circulation and consists of antioxidants and minerals that keep your weight under control if not reduce it.
Not to miss, drinking hot soup of beans and legumes is also considered one of the healthiest snacks that assist weight loss.
Have Quality Sleep
Sleeping[9] 8 hours a day is a must for every human body to stay healthy and active and due to reduced daylight, we tend to sleep more in the winters as compared to summers.
You must at all times have a quality sleep of 8 hours since lack of sleep slows down your metabolism and increases cortisol hence resulting in weight gain.
Sunbath
The deficiency of vitamin D results in weight gain, so it is recommended to have a regular sunbath for at least 30 minutes.
Besides giving comfort to your cold body it also boosts your vitamin D and hence maintains your weight.
Yoga and Meditation
Be it winters or summers, yoga can be the best way to reduce weight in a snap while also keeping your body’s flexibility intact and helping in aging well.
Yoga is a great way to lose weight during winters which tend to keep your body active and the asanas performed in yoga will affect your core in a good way helping you shed weight faster.
Conclusion
To conclude the article we have studied that it is not so hard to lose weight in winters or even maintain it.
Few daily chores can help you lose weight in tremendous amounts while eating and drinking healthy winter food can help you maintain the weight.
Even cold water can help you reduce weight and keeping your metabolism healthy is very helpful in losing weight or even gaining weight if you are insulin resistant.
Yoga and meditation are soothing ways to get flexible and losing weight while sitting under the sun for some time can help you to maintain the weight you have lost.
You need to sleep well to be good on your belly and not disrupt your sleep cycle if you want good health and body shape.
Sitting in the bed and just having hot soup daily helps your metabolism to let you lose weight fast.
We also discussed some key factors to keep in mind while exercising in winter where you need to keep yourself warm most of the time.
Also, you need to stop when it gets too much and avoid getting wet to safeguard from winter cold or fever and most important, keep yourself hydrated.
9 References/Sources
Working4Health prefers using primary and verified references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and our primary references include peer-reviewed researches, academic and medical institution studies.
- Vinu A. Vij and Anjali S. Joshi. Effect of ‘Water Induced Thermogenesis’ on Body Weight, Body Mass Index and Body Composition of Overweight Subjects. J Clin Diagn Res. 2013 Sep; 7(9): 1894–1896.Published online 2013 Sep 10. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2013/5862.3344
- S Anne Moorhead, Robert W Welch, M Barbara, et al. The effects of the fibre content and physical structure of carrots on satiety and subsequent intakes when eaten as part of a mixed meal. Br J Nutr. 2006 Sep;96(3):587-95. doi: 10.1079/bjn20061790. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16925866/
- Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, Jamal Rahmani, Hamed Kord-Varkaneh, Ali Sheikhi, Bagher Larijani, Ahmad Esmaillzadeh. Cinnamon supplementation positively affects obesity: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clin Nutr. 2020 Jan;39(1):123-133. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2019.02.017. Epub 2019 Feb 15. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30799194/
- Suchitra Kumari, R Rakavi, Manaswini Mangaraj. Effect of Guava in Blood Glucose and Lipid Profile in Healthy Human Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Study. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016 Sep; 10(9): BC04–BC07. Published online 2016 Sep 1. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2016/21291.8425.
- Parvin Mirmiran, Zeinab Houshialsadat, Zahra Gaeini, Zahra Bahadoran, Fereidoun Azizi. Functional properties of beetroot (Beta vulgaris) in management of cardio-metabolic diseases. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2020; 17: 3. Published online 2020 Jan 7. doi: 10.1186/s12986-019-0421-0
- Carol Torgan, Ph.D. Shivering Triggers Brown Fat to Produce Heat and Burn Calories. February 24, 2014. Available from: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/shivering-triggers-brown-fat-produce-heat-burn-calories
- Cold Weather Safety for Older Adults. Content reviewed: January 01, 2018. Available from: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/cold-weather-safety-older-adults
- Yong Zhu, James H Hollis. Soup consumption is associated with a lower dietary energy density and a better diet quality in US adults. Br J Nutr. 2014 Apr 28;111(8):1474-80. doi: 10.1017/S0007114513003954. Epub 2014 Jan 2. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24382211/
- Jean-Philippe Chaput, PhD and Angelo Tremblay, PhD. Adequate sleep to improve the treatment of obesity. CMAJ. 2012 Dec 11; 184(18): 1975–1976. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.120876
- This article has been written for informational purposes only.
- None of the above statements have been evaluated by the FDA authority.
- We do not intend to provide medical treatment, cure, or advice using this article.
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- About the Author
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Otella has an experience of around eight years of writing about health and nutrition-related topics. She is a full-time mother and a housewife, and the time she has left after doing her mother and household duties is spent writing for Working for Health as a full-time writer. Her life goal is to raise both her boys into a gentleman, and at the same time, she wants to educate people on how to keep themselves fit by tweaking their daily diet.