I have some good news and some bad news. The good news: winter does not last forever. The bad news: this winter and all its snow doesn’t seem to know that.
So while we wait to see what the remaining days of March will bring, look on the bright side. If you haven’t already begun losing some extra holiday pounds with all this shoveling, maybe winter still has time to bring you more. And if it doesn’t, we know we will begin getting the opportunity to take ourselves outside to increasing warmth.
Speaking of excess pounds, if you are one of the many people who think that you have been unsuccessful in shedding any after trying as hard as you possibly can and doing all the right things to no avail, I have some more good news. You are not alone.
You see, your body really doesn’t want to lose its insulation during harsh cold winter weather. It’s a built in survival mechanism that during cold months, your body needs insulation against the cold so it will try to store anything it can.
Metabolism rates slow down while appetites increase. Mix that with less overall activity (think shorter days and longer nights for nesting) and boredom. It’s no coincidence that we find ourselves eating more often.
Your body craves storing any fat (insulation) to replace what you’ve burnt off all the more. So even if you’ve been careful and have cut back on your calories, and shoveled your driveway for the hundredth time, your body is matching wits by storing what it can when it can resulting in your disappointment.
Don’t let it discourage you. Continue with increased activity and careful healthier eating. Your efforts will not be wasted. You will still end up ahead of the game. Just think where you would be without all your effort.
Considering the above facts, you’d be a lot heavier. So stop getting discouraged. Stay off the scale and be patient and persistent.
If I’ve left you hoping for more snow, you may be in luck. If not, warmer weather is around the corner. And with it comes a better response from our bodies to our exercising and careful eating habits. Besides, you probably have lost a little bit of the excess holiday weight, but at a much slower pace.
Remember, patience can be a virtue….keep that in mind during the next snowstorm.
