While spring and summer attract outdoor activities, tennis, volleyball and the like lose their appeal as temperatures drop. Instead, we snuggle up on the couch and give our bodies the break they deserve. It's the perfect time to relax and reconnect with yourself. But for those who can't sit still even in autumn and winter, we have a few tips in this post on how to stay fit and maintain your weight in the cold season.
How to stay fit and healthy in the cold season
Admittedly, it is not so easy to stay fit in the cold season. Exercising outside is not very tempting, but a cozy evening with delicious snacks can be even more alluring.
However, we have collected a few tips for you on how you can still stay active and healthy:
Brave the cold
Even if the weather does not necessarily invite you to be outside for hours, it is worthwhile to brave the cold and move outdoors. Even a short walk can positively impact your health.
Science has proven many times that outdoor activities in winter not only keep you physically fit but also enhance mental well-being. For example, they can alleviate symptoms of depression or improve concentration and memory. They also replenish your body with vitamin D, which has a positive effect on your mood. So, dress warmly and get out into nature.
Maintaining weight with indoor sports and home workouts
Is the cold not for you? No problem. Explore the gyms in your city and find what you enjoy. From mindful yoga classes to sweaty HIIT workouts, there's so much to discover in the fitness world. If, on the other hand, you prefer not to train in a group, home workouts are a good alternative. Check out the available apps and YouTube workouts, and you're good to go.
Find a training buddy
Often, there is not a lack of ideas but rather the motivation and discipline to get started. That's why it's a good idea to find a training partner. This not only makes exercising more fun, but you can also motivate and challenge each other.
After a sweaty fitness session, reward yourself with a protein-rich, healthy breakfast or snack. Exercise alone is not enough; nutrition also plays a vital role in maintaining weight during the cold season. Learn how to do this in the next section.
How to maintain your weight in autumn and winter
When it's cold and dark outside, high-calorie foods are particularly appealing. The so-called comfort food helps us through the cold season, but sooner or later it becomes noticeable on the hips and stomach. To combat winter weight gain, it is essential to focus on a healthy and balanced diet. Our tips will help you:
Recognize calorie traps
To avoid starting spring with extra kilos, recognizing and eliminating calorie traps from your menu is helpful. These include, above all, alcohol, snacks, and sweets.
For example: If you enjoy a small beer and half a bag of chips in front of the TV in the evening, you will consume about 600 kcal. The daily requirement for an adult woman is approximately 1,900 kcal, so this snack accounts for almost a third of the daily intake. Men have a slightly higher requirement of about 2,300 kcal.
You can easily find out your daily requirement with our calorie calculator .
Pay attention to nutrient intake
To maintain your weight in the cold season, you should pay attention to your nutrient intake. Provide your body with enough protein, healthy fatty acids, and long-chain carbohydrates to keep you full and minimize cravings for food.
A breakfast dish that is rich in healthy nutrients is, for example, our porridge in addition to the cereal . The warm porridge is primarily made from oatmeal, which is a healthy source of long-chain carbohydrates and keeps you full for a long time. Additionally, this regional grain provides a significant amount of protein.
With the right toppings, such as nuts or seeds, you can also add unsaturated fatty acids to your breakfast porridge. This makes porridge the optimal breakfast, which also tastes delicious.
Maintain your weight with fruits and vegetables
In addition to nuts and seeds, fruits of all kinds also make great toppings for porridge. Some vegetables can add a unique touch to oatmeal as well. For example, have you ever tried adding carrots or zucchini to porridge?
Recipe: Carrot Cake Porridge
Ingredients
- 50 g oatmeal
- 200 ml oat drink or another plant-based drink variant or water (for an even lower calorie variant)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 grated carrots
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp almond sauce
- 1 tbsp walnuts (optional)
Preparation
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Grate the carrots first and then put them in a pot.
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Then add the oatmeal and the plant drink. If you want to save extra calories, you can also replace half of the plant drink with water.
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Then add the salt and some cinnamon to the pot.
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Now boil the porridge for about 5-7 minutes. When the porridge is almost ready and already nice and creamy, take the pot off the stove and stir in some almond butter.
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Then place the porridge in a bowl. Now you can enhance the oatmeal with toppings of your choice, such as delicious walnuts.
Especially in winter, it is important to eat enough fruits and vegetables. In addition to the vitamins that keep us healthy during the cold season, they are also known for their high fiber content. This helps keep you full for a long time without straining your calorie budget too much. Our tip: By adding a healthy source of fat (e.g., a handful of nuts), your body can better absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
