Dominican: Stay Fit this winter

Angela Romano

How to stay motivated, fit and healthy during the winter months

Brutally cold temperatures are no excuse to drop fitness from your life this winter. Sure, it's a bit nippy outside--alright, maybe it's downright horrible, but freezing or not, your body still needs a daily dose of fitness, especially during the holiday seasons.

Health experts from Fitness Magazine say that during the colder months, your metabolism naturally slows down, which contributes to weight gain. Even if you hide those extra pounds under your comfy Northface jacket, come spring there will be a day when you want to crawl into a hole when you try to put on that mini skirt and tank top. Save yourself the misery by committing to fitness this winter. It’s not as hard as you may think. With a little creativity, flexibility and slight motivation, you can make fitness a mainstay in your life this season and beyond.

Instead of avoiding the cold weather, learn to embrace it. As long as you dress properly and conditions are fairly decent, you still can walk, run, or bike outside. Nutrition major Lissette Espindola said, “Even walking around down town Oak Park with some friends is exercise. It doesn’t necessarily have to be strenuous, just getting your body up and moving is enough during the winter.”

Boredom can make anybody abandon their fitness routine, but indoor workouts are particularly prone to grow stale, especially if you're looking at the same four walls, doing the same exercises for the next few months. Group workouts are a way to keep your body in shape and have fun at the same time. Nutrition major and Junior Corrie Cunningham is a strong advocate for group workouts. She said, “What better motivation to exercise than making working out fun? Get friends together and pick a set time to all work out together. Do a yoga tape, do Pilates, go for a walk. Anything!”

The problem with many is not only working out, but also trying to eat healthy when all you want to do is indulge on Christmas cookies and the delicious homemade feast. Espindola offers advice that may prevent you from packing on the pounds during the holiday season. She said: “Before you go to a holiday party make sure you have eaten a healthy breakfast and lunch. Don’t skip meals because you plan on eating a lot at the party. That’s your first mistake. While at the party, pick one dessert you want to enjoy after dinner. Limit yourself. At dinner, chew your food, eat slow, and don’t eat until you feel like you’re going to burst.”

Winter offers many ways to get out of shape, including the daily trips to Caribou and Starbucks. Here's an example of what kind of calories you are putting in your body on a typical day. If you get a Starbucks Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich it's 460 calories and 25 grams of fat. Then wash it down with a White Hot Chocolate, 640 calories and 28 grams of fat. That's 1,100 calories and 53 grams of fat for breakfast. If you are on the average 2,000 per day calorie budget, you just blew through half of it in one morning snack, not to mention the money you just blew on one meal. But if you’re a crazed coffee drinker, don’t worry. You don't have to skip Starbucks, you just have to pay attention on what you choose to eat and drink. Starbucks calories are posted in many of the stores; you just need to check before you order. Also, If you stick to the drinks without cream or flavorings, you drop about 80 percent of the calories. Skip the sweet or flavored food items and you save about 60 percent of the calories.

Becoming conscious of what you are putting into your body and staying active are beneficial, but unless you get Vitamin D in your system, you are most likely still going to slip into seasonal depression. The long winters and rigorous academics can begin to take a toll on mental health. Jason Bonick, assistant clinical director of Dominican University’s Wellness Center, said, “Winter is a season when we see a lot more people, but not only due to seasonal affective disorder, but also because of all the stress school brings that time of year.”

Our body craves Vitamin D and can still get it in the winter if you act correctly. Cunningham said. “Getting outside for 10 to 20 minutes a day will give your body it’s Vitamin D. If you can’t do that everyday it’s important to get a Vitamin D supplement.”