Good Health Choices New Zealand – August 2019

WHEN IT’S WET AND COLD OUTSIDE, FINDING THE

MOTIVATION TO EAT AND EXERCISE PROPERLY CAN

BE LOW ON THE PRIORITY LIST. MONIQUE MCKENZIE

HAS SOME HELPFUL MOTIVATIONAL TIPS AND TRICKS

TO AVOID WINTER WEIGHT GAIN

weight tracker

A

s humans, our bodies have

evolved with the seasons to eat

heavily in the harvest season

(autumn) and keep weight on in the

winter to protect from the cold and

lack of food. We naturally crave warm

foods and the fats to protect our organs

and skin from wild winds, cooler

temperatures and less sunlight.

There’s no question it’s easier to make

healthy choices in summer – there’s an

abundance of produce in season, the

sun is shining, the days are long – and

we feel naturally motivated to head

outdoors and get active. But come the

colder, dreary months of winter, eating

clean and slimming down can seem a lot

more challenging. With shorter, darker

days, winter is enough to derail our

motivation to exercise, too.

A recent discovery may explain one

reason for winter weight gain. A January

2018 study by University of Alberta

researchers has shown the fat cells that

lie just beneath our skin shrink when

exposed to the blue light emitted by

the sun.

“When the sun’s blue light

wavelengths – the light we can see with

our eye – penetrate our skin and reach

the fat cells just beneath, lipid droplets

reduce in size and are released out

of the cell. In other words, our cells don’t

store as much fat,” says Peter Light,

senior author of the study.

“If you flip our findings around,

the insufficient sunlight exposure

we get eight months of the year

may be promoting fat storage and

contribute to the typical weight gain

some of us have over winter. Perhaps

that pathway – exposure to sunlight

that directs our sleep-wake patterns –

may also act in a sensory manner,

setting the amount of fat humans

burn depending on the season.

You gain weight in the winter, and then

burn it off in the summer.”

Peter adds, “This could be

evolutionary process, supported by the

fact that unlike many other mammals,

our fat is spread out all over our bodies.”

If forgiving winter clothes and

unforgiving temperatures aren’t

motivating you to work toward your

winter weight-loss goals, don’t fret –

we’ve rounded up the best tips and

tricks for dealing with cold temperatures

and comfort food cravings, and stay

on track through the winter months.

‘You gain

weight in the

winter, and

then burn it off

in the summer’

DID

YOU

KNOW?

Avocados are about 77

percent fat and contain

about 40 percent more

potassium than

bananas.

Winter