Happy Holidays?

There’s nothing like cold weather to dampen your girlish enthusiasm for going to the gym (if you live in an area that’s cold in winter – if not, cry your river elsewhere and get to the gym.) Getting exercise during the winter months is about as attractive a large, agile cockroach – and you will also be haunted by endless, remorseless strings of holiday parties, where each wintertime treat is more tempting than the last. 

Thanksgiving was just the beginning. It’s a long way until March – and after New Year’s, there isn’t anything in way of bright, cheerful holidays, which is exactly why you should enjoy this time of year as much as possible. What’s more, developing healthy cold-weather habits NOW will only ensure that you’ll be able to get through these arctic months with only a little bit of added holiday weight. 

There’s no substitute for healthy food, exercise and the Pink Patch. It is, as they say, a winning combination. As I wrote in an earlier post, the Pink Patch won’t put a blindfold over your eyes or clip a clothespin to your nose – or push you out into the tundra to get to the gym. However, if you follow the advice below, you can turn the 10 lb winter weight gain into 5 lbs, or maybe even 2. 

Drink water like you’ve never drunk it before. Duh, you’re thinking. Except at this time of year, it’s really, really important. Aside from the obvious weight loss benefits (such as making you feel full and flushing your system), drinking larger-than-usual amounts of water will keep your skin from cracking and your lips from chapping. Think of the hours you spend in the office or in your apartment not going to the gym, with the heating vents or radiators chugging away. If you moisturize once a day typically, moisturize twice a day. If you have oily skin, consider investigating some of the lighter-weight moisturizers available. But drink twice as much water as you usually do. Since you’re spending so much time indoors, you’ll always have a bathroom close by. 

Take a short, brisk walk on every sunny day. Only 10-15 minutes; surely you can handle that. Bundle up like crazy – you’ll be dying for cool fresh air by the time you make it out of the indoors. Don’t give a moment’s thought to how you look: this isn’t a fashion show, and anyway, every sensible person will look like Nanook of the North too. On the snowy days (snowy, not blizzard-y), get into the holiday spirit and make like you’re in a Hallmark card. Even better, take a camera with you, so you can create unique holiday greetings for your loved ones – or even just to impress people. 

Try to do at least 10 crunches every day. You owe yourself that much, and you have no excuse not to. 

If you can do these things consistently throughout the winter months, you’ll be quite pleasantly surprised come springtime. Like I said, it’s no substitution for the gym, but you’ll look great, and you’ll feel free of holiday guilt.