So Anzac day has passed and my housemate is letting me turn on the heating.
There are a few things that happen to me this time of year. First, I get a cold with the change of seasons. Check! Second, I drop back the exercise to ‘recover’ and start to stock up on soup. Check! Third, I loose all the motivation I once had for healthy eating and exercise. All I want to do is curl up under the doona and watch an entire season of New Girl with warm comfort foods like casseroles, puddings and BREAD!
But not this year! I refuse to let my winter cravings ruin the hard work I have put in over the warmer months. I’m determined to come through this chilly weather with healthier routines than when I entered it. I have compiled a few strategies that I’ll be using and I hope these might be useful to you as well.
Set a goal
Goal setting is about beginning with the end in mind. Where would you like to be 4-5 months from now? What would you like to be able to achieve? If you can clearly identify this at the beginning of the chilly weather you can draw on that goal to avoid those cravings for instant comfort. Make it a SMART goal: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. You might like to read this article on goal setting here.
Plan weekly meals, lunches and snacks
Meal planning is invaluable. Spending 30 minutes at the beginning of the week mapping out what to have for dinner each night and what to pack for lunches and snacks each day can make all the difference to avoid giving in to cravings. Plan to include healthy comfort food each week, rather than just banning them from your diet completely.
I love fresh breads with butter so I plan to make a soup one night a week so that I can enjoy that bread and butter within a balanced meal.
Make a shopping list
Creating a shopping list is much easier to do when you know what you’ll be making during the week. Use your meal plan to help write this list. Once you’ve got a shopping list it is much easier to avoid those foods we crave on a cold winters night. If you haven’t bought unhelpful foods, then you’re less likely to eat them. When I have a chocolate craving, if I have to go out into the chilly night air to buy it I am much less likely to give into the craving, compared to if it were already in my pantry.
Make it yourself
At home we often try to stick to the rule of thumb that if we want comfort food we need to make it ourselves. The rationale being: If we’re not prepared to put in the effort to make it from scratch, we probably don’t want it bad enough. This has been helpful in preventing me buying biscuits and cakes to satisfy a craving – and it’s helped the back pocket too.
What’s more, if you make it yourself you know exactly what’s gone into it. You can tweak the recipe to make it healthier and more enjoyable. For some great tips on how to tweek your comfort foods click here.
Catch some rays
One of the main contributors to stodgy food cravings over winter is a change in mood. In serious cases this is referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and is largely linked to reduced access to daylight and Vitamin D.
So make to most of your lunch break. Canberra has beautiful sunny winter days, which may help to boost your mood and subsequently reduce cravings for comfort foods. 10 minutes of sun exposure to your hands and face during 11am and 2pm is sufficient for the majority of the population to meet their requirements for vitamin D.
Stay active
Moving your body helps to release endorphins, which can also help to stave off the effects of SAD. I know for myself, exercise is the first thing to slip when the weather cools down. So re-evaluate your exercise routine and be honest about what is realistic over winter. Maybe this is a chance to try something new indoors that your might keep your interest. An adult’s beginner ballet class? Online exercise videos? A lunchtime walk with colleagues? I have locked in a regular evening walk with some good friends – and I promise I won’t back out to stay in my slippers ever again guys!
