Winter is coming…. (sorry, I couldn’t leave this out đ ) and the holidays are around the corner.
Most of us tend to set aside our diet and workout routines for this time indulging in feasts, alcohol and snacking while our pants start to feel a little tight, or much…
Did you know that the most significant the increase in obesity and weight gain is between November and January?
Although everybodyâs weight gain may have different contributing factors there is almost always an increase of Kapha playing a role in this issue. if we know that Kapha is increased in our system, we must be careful to pacify this vital energetic force and bring balance back to our body.
How to Avoid Winter Weight Gain with Ayurveda
The ancient wisdom of Ayurveda uses detox methods that combine calorie restriction with digestive resetting to reset the bodyâs natural and health-promoting ability to burn fat as a primary source of fuel, rather than carbs and sugar.
However Ayurveda is not known for their âquick fixesâ, this science does create long lasting changes. It is not as simple as popping a pill, and it is not an understatement to say that it does require sufficient self-effort. making these changes will not only help you lose or maintain weight, it will bring you more energy, strengthen your digestion and give you a stronger sense of wellbeing in your daily life. It may not happen overnight, but making these changes will lead you in the right direction. In fact, each week you will begin to look and feel better, bringing you more incentive to continue with the program and accomplish your final goal.
Keep active!
Either create a workout schedule if you don’t have one, or maintain the one you already have! During winter we often neglect our workouts because it’s easier to stay in the warm house but it is a key factor in both losing weight or maintaining a healthy level. As an added bonus, it will even help boost waning winter energy levels and ward off those wintertime blues, strengthens the digestive fire and increases the metabolism.
If you struggle to get yourself moving in the cold weather outside, you still have plenty of choices. You can sign up to a gym or to yoga or pilates class, join a dance group or just do some home exercise. I would suggest aiming for three, 30 minute long exercise sessions each week to begin. Continue to increase this amount until you are allowing time for 30 minutes of intentional movement (aka exercise) 6-7 days a week or if it’s easier for you, increase the length of your workout and do 3-4 times 60-90 minutes a week.
Avoid daytime napping
One of the biggest culprits for increasing Kapha, slowing down the metabolism, and creating sluggishness in the digestion is daytime napping, especially when after a meal. If there is sleepiness during the day, try to perform a few restorative Yoga poses (such as legs up the wall) or gentle stretches, take a short walk outside, splash some cold water on your face, or take a few moments to perform some deep breathing exercise. If this still does not work, make sure to wait at least 2 hours post-food before lying down and avoid making this a daily habit. Lay on your left side, as this will help to boost, rather than smother the digestive fire.
Avoid eating after dark
Our bodies our naturally set to mimic our external environment. This means that as the day becomes dark and the world begins to slow down, our bodies, our digestion and metabolism is slowing down as well. Not only should dinner be our lightest meal of the day, it should also be eaten before darkness falls. If nothing else, aim to eat before 7pm and avoid heavy foods such as refined grains, meat, and dairy at this time. If eating before dark leaves you hungry before bedtime, have some light and healthy snack options around such as a piece of fruit, a spoon of almond butter, a cube of dark chocolate, vegetable broth, herbal tea with honey or moon milk.
Keep your agni strong
Agni refers to the digestive fire in our bodies. Heavy food choices and a lazy lifestyle can cause sluggishness in the digestion that leads to slow metabolism, toxic accumulation and weight gain. To increase Agni drink ginger tea between meals, take a short walk after each meal, make lunch the largest meal, avoid late night feasts and heavy foods for dinner, eat lots of warm, mushy meals (oatmeal, porridge), avoid cold, raw foods, use digestive spices, avoid cold and iced beverages and stop snacking between meals.
Drink something hot between meals
It’s not only important to avoid iced beverages but also to consume hot or at least warm drinks. This simple, yet healthy practice is beneficial, as it is known to boost the fire and slowly flush toxins from the GI tract.
Imagine it it like a dirty dish to wash, maybe even with oil on it. If you try using cold water, the dish will not get clean and the oil will only solidify. If you use room temperature water, you may eventually get the food, oil and dirt off, but only with a bit of elbow grease and multiple rinsing. Now, imagine now using hot water on this dirty, oily dish. Washing becomes much easier and your dish will not only become clean, any oily residue is sure to come off. This is the same scenario as our GI tracts, filled with food matter, toxins, and oils. Sipping on this hot water, steadily between meals will slow by slowly flush away this âdirtâ, creating open food pathways, boosting the metabolism and strengthening the digestive fire.
To begin this practice, start each day with 1-2 cups of hot water, before any food intake (but after scraping the tongue). I love to drink hot lemon water first thing in the morning, it also warms me up on the cold winter mornings. After that, aim for 1-2 cups of hot water between each meal, with an ultimate goal of about 6-8 cups of hot water altogether. Feel free to add in lemon, lime or ginger as needed.
Healthy comfort foods
I know, right? Sound like an oxymoron, but there can be such things as healthy comfort foods. The unhealthy ones would be pastries (cakes, cookies, etc), ice cream, chocolate, pizza, pasta, bread, and cheesy casseroles, you know it all… While aiming to avoid these throughout the holiday and winter season, it is best to have a list of some healthier, but still âcomfortingâ options available. Here are some ideas for you, that I really love:
- Healthy, homemade cookies (try my gluten & refines sugar free, vegan choco chip cookies here)
- Quinoa and Veggie Stir Fries or Casseroles ( creamy cheesy vegan & gluten free potato galette)
- Warm mushy meals such as kitchari or milk rice pudding
- Stews and soups (aim for broth based)
- Porridges and oatmeal
- Homemade, 100% whole grain breads (in moderation!)
- Dark chocolate with no added cane sugar
No matter what your comfort food preference, just remember, homemade is best! This allows one to avoid hidden ingredients, unhealthy oils, preservatives, additives, refined sugars and refined grains.
