Top Ten Winter Dieting Tips, by Me. :)

10.  Embrace the root. 
       In the bitter cold winter months, nature provides us with the food our bodies are designed to need to sustain the cold months.  Embrace the bounty of nature, and reach for the root vegetables.  Your body will thank you.  Packed with essential nutrients, carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, beetroot and squash will help you fend of disease, work as natural antibiotics, increase iron, provide natural sugars to keep you going through the shortest of days and the coldest ones too, boost your energy and keep your heart healthy.  Yep, they do all that.  Since they grow this time of year, chances are, your local market has bought them locally, so they are a green alternative to the asparagus being shipped in from halfway across the country as well. 

9.  Feed your soul, not your body.
     With less to do in the winter months, we tend to graze.  And graze...and graze...  It starts with the holiday season.  Thin people really don't gain weight or noticeable weight over the holidays, but overweight people do.  A thin person may gain half a lb.  A heavy person may gain more like 5 or 10.  Rather than getting right back on track, it's easy to let the snowball roll, until all of the sudden we notice it's spring, and we have been gaining weight the entire time.  Next time you are bored, tucked into your nice warm house away from the cold, don't reach for a cookie or a cracker to help fill the time.  Reach for a pen, or a paint brush or a game, or a book.  Channel your boredom or winter doldrums into something productive that you can feel good about once you have completed.

8.  Shake it like a Polaroid picture.
     You heard me!  Shake that booty!  If you aren't inclined to dance, even though you should be...at least when you're alone...kick it old school and sweat to the oldies with Richard Simmons, join a dance style exercise class, or try out one of the DVDs that involve dance techniques.  In addition to a normal, not always thrilling exercise routine, dancing is a great calorie burner that will boost your energy level, confidence and va va voom.  The funky weather may get you down, but if you play that funky music, your hips won't lie, and you'll be starting to feel all right in no time.

7.  Pass the rolls to the left or the right.
     Whatever you do, don't stop for the bread basket, or the rolls you're staring at today will be added to your own tomorrow.  ;)  We crave comfort foods in the cold winter months, and what goes better with comfort foods than warm bread and butter?  Food wise, I honestly don't know the answer to that question, but I know what's better than a perfect meal?  A perfect bum.  :)  Just ask whoever's standing behind you.  They'll agree!  Unless you are having complex multigrain bread, it's really not ever going to be your friend.  Bread is usually just a vessel of empty sugar that likes to usher fat directly to your problem areas, keeping it there forever.  No thank you!  Pass it on.

6.  Make your home a no junk zone.
     Odds are, you don't live alone, and even if you do, you may find junk food creeping in from time to time.  Just because your family members may not be concerned with losing weight, doesn't mean they need junk.  Winter is a time of treats for all, and a moment of hunger or weakness could knock you right off track.  Don't chance it.  Let it be known that anyone daring to disgrace your kitchen with garbage can assume their garbage will end up where it belongs - in the trash!

5.  Eat less, move more.
     This seems like a fairly obvious concept, and it is one that is true no matter what time of year it is, however, in the winter, we are more likely to be even more sedentary than we are during the other
months of the year.  Since we aren't moving as much, we don't need to eat as much.  If your normal diet amount is 1800 calories per day, perhaps 1500 will suffice during the winter months.  What works for you during the active months may not work as well during the winter.  Also, if your work out is normally 30 minutes, 3 times a week.  Try stepping it up to 45 minutes, 4-5 times/week.  The little bit of increase will help you stay ahead of the piling pounds!

4.  Make Time for Tea!
     I can think of no better tea time than the cold winter months.  Sitting by the fire or a warm stove, reading a good book in a comfortable chair, legs stretched out, while sipping on a nice warm cup of tea is a wonderful winter past times.  With so many teas to choose from, many having great medicinal qualities, there is a perfect tea for every person out there.  Looking for a low calorie social thing to do with your friends?  Why not have a tea party.  You can each bring your favorite tea to share.  Warm beverages are also a great trick to stave off pesky hunger pains between meals. 

3.  Take those Vitamins.
     Again, vitamins can be a helpful supplement to a healthy diet all year long, but in the winter, we need more.  We aren't getting the sunlight our bodies need, so it's very common to become vitamin D deficient over the winter months.  In addition to turning to dairy or oily fish or eggs, most people - especially women - need to take a vitamin D.  Don't forget, the body needs vitamin D for calcium to be absorbed properly, so take the two together, and you'll have a perfect match to combat the winter blues.

2.  Away Wii Go!
     Do you miss playing volleyball in the sand?  Running outside?  Pole vaulting?  Playing baseball or tennis outdoors?  Rollerblading or skateboarding or even surfing?  Now you can.  If you haven't tried out Nintendo's Wii game system yet, you are missing out on a lot of calorie burning fun.  Their luau may not be as good as the one you went to in Hawaii, but it's a nice alternative to sludge and snow and sleet.  Not only does the Wii offer lots of interactive, fun games that make you get up and move your body, there are also great exercise programs offered as well, such as Wii Fit, or my personal favorite EA Games Personal Trainer.  Those programs will get your heart pumping and body moving in the comfort of your own home, with the variety you have missed!

1.  Play outside!
     It may be winter out there, but take advantage of it!  If you live in a snowy part of the country, go snow shoeing or cross country skiing.  Both are wonderful opportunities to exercise while taking in the beauty of all things winter.  If you haven't tried skiing or snow boarding, give it a try!  It may not burn as many calories as cross country skiing or snow shoeing, but it will keep you active and help you stay in shape while you have a blast!  Ice skating is also fun for all age groups, and outdoor hockey can be a great cardiovascular work out.  Just remember to dress in layers, and stay warm.  If you catch a cold, you may be benched for a while, and that's not going to help you one bit.  If we have to deal with shoveling it, and driving in it, and dealing with it for months on end, we might as well enjoy it.  So go play in the snow.  Even a snow ball fight burns calories.  ;-)

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Bonus tips
*Make a healthy soup each weekend that can be an easy, body warming meal in a rush.

*Buy clothes a size smaller than normal.  That way you won't be as comfortable hiding beneath the layers.

*Lose weight with your friends.  Make a contest out of it, and plan to be active and healthy together.

We don't have to continue to pack on the pounds.  Make this winter your thinnest yet by following these easy tips!