Trim Mom

Winter Weight Gain: Exposing A Hidden Culprit

While there are obvious reasons for gaining weight during the winter (like the abundance of food and treats as well as lack of exercise) there is also one big hidden reason:  depression.

It’s not unusual to suffer seasonal depression during the winter.  Not only will depression cause you to reach for more fattening foods, it can also leave you lethargic and unwilling to get exercise.  This combination will obviously result in packing on the pounds which often times furthers depression.

To stop from falling into this nasty cycle, take steps to keep your mood elevated as you go into winter and then keep it up through the season.  One of the biggest causes of seasonal depression is lack of sunlight.

Be sure to keep your home and office well lit when you’re indoors.  If this isn’t enough, take a few 20 minute periods every day to sit in from of a high watt bulb.  This will help boost your mood in a natural way.

While bad diet and lack of exercise are often a result of depression, they can also be part of the cause of the depression.  If you start feeling depressed, focus on maintaining your healthy habits.  They will help boost your mood and keep you from falling into a bad cycle of depression, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, and weight gain.

Technorati Tags: weight gain, weightloss, winter

If You’re Not Exercising…

You are not alone!

Did you know that 30 percent of people don’t get any exercise at all during the winter?

I don’t know about you, but right now I’m part of that statistic.  In addition to those who aren’t exercising, those that do often get less than they would during the warmer months of the year.  Winter is often cold and bitter outside which discourages us from getting out and about.  I know if I lived in a really cold place, I’d probably just want to curl up under a warm blanket with a good book all winter long.  Winter can also be dark and dreary which can easily hamper motivation to do anything, much less get up and work out.  The on top of all of that, it’s generally a hectic time of year with it being that holiday season and all.  Shopping, holiday gatherings, company parties, and everything else that goes along with the holidays makes it a challenge to find time for exercise.  I have to admit that I’m more likely to want to fill my extra time with a fun holiday activity than a workout.  All this adds up to the unhealthy habit or not getting enough physical activity during the winter.  With that in mind, here are

3 Tips for Getting Exercise During the Winter

Join a gym: Gyms offer expert staffs, a warm and safe place to exercise, a chance to get out of the house, and chance to socialize with new people.

Utilize the Mall: The mall is not only good for shopping.  A walk at the mall, may be more interesting than walking at the park.  Plus some have some great stairs you can climb for an added challenge.  Some malls even have walking clubs you can join.

Exercise Tapes or DVDs: Ah yes, it’s time to break out those exercise videos!  They allow you to stay in the comfort of your own home and have more privacy while you exercise.

Other ideas include:

• Running in place
• Getting a rebounder
• Playing with the kids
• Playing sports with family and friends
• Participating in indoor winter sports programs

A word of warning: Quick temperature changes can be a dangerous shock to your body.  When going outside, take time to give your body a proper warm up and cool down.  Also, when coming in from the cold, wait a few minutes to remove your coat and other layers.

When you venture outside in the winter, it’s important to take extra precautions to stay warm and safe.  Always be sure to bundle up and wear layers.  You want enough to keep you warm, but not so much that you’re sweating.  While sweating during your summer workout is great, during the winter sweat makes you wet and can make you cold in freezing temperatures.

Exercising during the winter may take a bit more planning and effort, but you’ll be rewarded by staying healthy, looking good, and maybe even having some fun.

Technorati Tags: exercise tips, fitness, health, Holiday WeightLoss Tips, weightloss, winter exercise

Free Guide to Holiday Fitness

Hey mom, the holidays are upon us and that means it’s a tough time of year to keep those unwanted pounds away. We’re constantly surrounded by delicious food and calories that are intent upon joining our frame. Thankfully, we have a free guide to help you combat those holiday temptations and effectively manage your weight during the holiday season.

Find out

• Why your prone to devouring comfort food
• How you may be setting yourself up for failure and
• Why cutting all fat from your diet is NOT the answer

Plus get practical tips on creating your own easy-to-follow plan for overcoming the tempting food of the holiday season.  Win the battle of the bulge this year with the practial tips in our free guide.

Technorati Tags: Holiday WeightLoss Tips

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe - Sweet Potato Triangles

Here’s a great Thanksgiving holiday recipe for you to try this year!

Spiced Sweet Potato Triangles

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons brown sugar substitute
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sugar substitute
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
3/4 cup cooked sweet potatoes, mashed

Instructions:

Sift together the flour, brown sugar substitute, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and sugar substitute in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl carefully stir together the oil, buttermilk and mashed sweet potatoes.  Transfer to the dry ingredients.  Stir just until moistened.  The mixture should be very dry.  Set the oven on 425 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place some flour on a flat surface.  Place the dough on the flour and knead four or five times.  Roll the dough out in a rectangle about 1 inch thick.  Cut the dough into thirds.  Cut each third into 6 triangles.  Place the triangles on the cookie sheet.  Bake 10 minutes or a golden brown.

Nutritional Information (Approximate Values):

104 calories, 2 g protein, 3 g total fat, 0.4 g saturated, 16 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 0 g cholesterol and 204 mg sodium per triangle.

Technorati Tags: healthy recipe, thanksgiving, thanksgiving recipe

How to Have a Healthier Thanksgiving

Of course, WeightLoss quests during the holiday season can be TOUGH! The holiday season is notorious for packing on the pounds, but eating a good Thanksgiving meal doesn’t mean you have to eat fattening foods. By the same token, eating a healthy meal doesn’t mean you have to forego your Thanksgiving favorites. With Thanksgiving coming up, I just wanted to give you a few ideas on Healthy Cooking For Thanksgiving.

Here are some easy ways to tweak the classics to be a bit healthier for you and your family.

Spices
As long as you use tasting and add them in small increments, adding extra spices to your foods is a great way to cut back on calories. If the food is well seasoned, you won’t need to add butter or gravy to make it taste good. Plus, if food is hot or spicy, you tend to eat less of it!

Evaporated milk
Evaporated milk is great for adding to recipes like pies or gravy. It adds flavor without all the calories of cream. Just remember to use a product made from skim milk.

Ditch the fat
When it comes to turkey, it’s pretty easy to cut back on the greasy fat. Cook the turkey in a drip pan instead of one that collects the fat at the bottom. Before you eat the turkey, be sure to remove the skin because this is where hidden fat and extra calories can be found.

Don’t stuff your turkey
Stuffing absorbs most of the fat and calories you’d rather keep out. Don’t worry, I’m not saying you can’t have stuffing. I love stuffing too and don’t think I could eliminate it from my Thanksgiving celebration. However, you can have more healthy stuffing by cooking it in a separate pan instead of inside your turkey. If you use the drippings to make gravy, skim the fat off first. You can add broth to these dishes to keep the moisture without adding the bad stuff.

Lose the butter
Butter is a big offender on Thanksgiving. You can put it on almost anything and it adds lots of fat and calories. Instead, try using chicken broth and evaporated milk to add flavor to dishes like mashed potatoes without all the fat.

Watch the drinks
You may not realize it, but Thanksgiving calories can come from what you drink as well as what you eat. Try having water or juice with your meal rather than high-calorie drinks like eggnog, soda, shakes, or alcoholic beverages.

Salad for side dishes
A lot of what we eat on Thanksgiving comes in the form of side dishes rather than the main course. Why not skip the stuffing or the rolls and start with a salad instead? This is a healthy option to help fill you up before the meal so you eat less of the fatty offenders with your turkey. Just remember that salads can be bad for you too, depending what you put in them. Personally, I tend to drown salad in dressing which is not the best idea for trying to get or stay trim.

Even Carrots Can Make You Fat
Just one last thought…Remember that no matter how good something is for you, if you eat thousands of calories, you’re probably going to gain weight. Even healthy food should be enjoyed in moderation, so watch your portions as well as the kind of food you’re eating.

Use these tips for a healthier, trimmer Thanksgiving celebration. Enjoy your holiday!

Technorati Tags: diet, holiday cooking, holiday diet, holiday food, thanksgiving, thanksgiving meal, WeightLoss Tips