10 Jul Top 5 Tips for “Beating the Winter Bulge”

1. Eat Wisely

According to a recent survey from Dieticians Association of Australia, Australians tend to eat more comfort foods including rich, calorie filled dinners and desserts during the colder months. This increase in calories can lead to winter weight gain. Thus, to ensure you do your best to stave off any calorie creep, even during winter, try to go for at least 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables every day.

2. Watch your Portion Size
Are you suffering from portion distortion? According to Melinda McGrice, a practising Dietician, in winter we are more tempted to ask for seconds and increase our serving sizes. It is important to be aware of your portion sizes, because larger portions mean more calories consumed. It’s not just what you eat, but how much.

3. Increase your Water Intake
During winter it is still important stay hydrated and have enough fluids. Often we think we are hungry when actually we could be thirsty, before reaching for the sugary snack, have a glass of water first, wait 10 minutes then see how you feel.

4. Get Active
The ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), has released new basic recommendations for how much exercise we should be doing each week; 30 minutes 5 days a week of moderate intensity cardio or 20 minutes a day of vigorous intensity cardio AND complete strength training twice per week. Remember the 30 minutes does not have to be done all at once, instead, you can combine a number of activities together e.g. Ditch the elevator and take the stairs, walk or cycle to the local shops for milk and bread instead of drive.
5. Get Some Rays

Try to get as much sunlight whenever possible, vitamin D naturally elevates your mood, which can also help you from reaching for the Mars Bar.