Beating the Autumn Slump

By Steph
 
The days are getting colder as winter grows closer. The sun seems to be avoiding you as it sleeps a little longer every morning, and heads to bed a little earlier every night. There is an extra hour of sleep which is good, but still the warmth of the sun is waning. Each day eats at your motivation to  crawl out of your warm bed, and heightens the cravings for warm, seemingly uplifting comfort foods that mom used to make you in the winter. Hearty stews, meaty lasagna, warm chocolate chip cookies, melt in your mouth macaroni and cheeeeeeese! All delicious concoctions, but when combined with the unmotivated days of the Autumn slump, they can add up and become a recipe for waistline disaster.

During this time of year the most important thing to do is stay active. Yeah, yeah, I know, this is much easier to say than it is actually convince yourself to do it. If you don’t already have some extra layers, head to the store and start piecing together your winter armor. Do some research and see what’s going to work best for you for your activity of choice. If you’re going to vary your activity and have some days where you go to the gym and others where you’ll brave the outdoors for an occasional jog or bike ride, consider gearing up at Target® where I’ve found dozens of amazing Champion® sports bras, CoolMax® shirts and  pants for great low prices. A few new winter workout items will help boost your slouchy motivation and get you moving in the right direction (to the gym! J).

It’s also important to stay on track. If you’re having trouble sticking to your workout and diet goals, I highly recommend starting a journal. I hesitated about starting one because I was afraid of becoming annoyingly neurotic about it, but what I’ve found is the exact opposite. Keeping a daily journal allows you to log your progress, and instead of lingering on the few bumps you hit along the way, it encourages you to keep eating right and to challenge yourself at the gym.

The most important thing you can do for yourself during this holiday season is to "Just Say No" to sloppy seconds.  It’s so easy to get off track with the oodles of feasts to be had during the holidays. The best thing you can do is to listen to your body and stay away from a second dose of unneeded, calorie-loaded filler foods. Still hungry after round one? Give your body a few minutes to capture everything you’ve just eaten. Then, if you really are still hungry, head back to the table and grab a few quality cal foods: Some lean turkey, some nuts or olives, and a nutrient rich veggie like broccoli. Your body will thank you later for giving it some much needed nourishment, versus an unwanted cookie induced  sugar coma.