Warm Up, It’s Winter!
5 Strategies to Beat the Winter Blues
Wow, I can’t believe it is December already.
Make your own sunshine - you can fake it with full spectrum
lighting. When you wake up in the morning be sure to flip all of the
lights on to trick your body into thinking it is bright and sunny out!
Be sure in your next doctor visit to have them check your 25- hydroxyl
vitamin D levels as less sunshine means lower levels of this precious nutrient.
You want your levels to be 60-80 ng/ml and you may need to increase your
supplementation during the winter (be sure to take a vitamin D that also
contains vitamin K).
Sleep in! Take advantage of the shorter days to sleep
longer. You need 7-9 hours of consistent sleep nightly so during the winter go
for the 8-9 side of the equation. I want you to turn the lights on bright in
the morning and then dim them down at night to help prepare your body for
sleep.
Get cold, get hot, get cold again. One of the factors that has
been attributed to weight loss resistance is static temperature.
When you get cold, your body has to work harder to heat you
up. When you heat up, your body then has to push a bit to cool you down.
If you ever noticed when you take your dog out without a jacket
in the brisk mornings, they shiver, which means their metabolism is
boosted. You can do the same! I don’t mean you need to freeze, but allow
yourself to get a bit cold to make your metabolism turn up the heat.
A great way to warm up once you get back inside and keep that
metabolism fired up is with a big mug of green tea. Green tea boosts
metabolism, calms you down due to its theanine content and protects your cells
with its great antioxidant punch.
The research shows you need quite a few cups to get these
benefits so you may also want to take a green tea supplement (the active
ingredient is EGCg).
Get
crocked! During the winter big entrée salads just don’t cut it for me.
This is when I drag out the crock pot and get creative.
Start
with a base of organic veggie or chicken broth and then add some lentils or
beans, loads of veggies (I like mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, onions,
cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage) and your clean lean protein of choice
(I throw in cooked leftovers like chicken or turkey). Spice it up with
some herbs – I love basil and rosemary, and you have a meal in under 15 minutes
of prep time.
You
can take some with you for lunch in a thermos (remember those?) and be the envy
of your office :).
If
you need more recipe ideas or ways to kick up your metabolism, contact me at wendy@fitfoodcoach.com or
425-691-8402. I’d love to help.
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