Fall is my favourite time of year as the weather cools down, football heats up, and we begin to turn our attention to the holidays and the start of a new year. Although fall and winter are traditionally thought of as times when people gain weight (thanks to holiday parties and heavy winter clothes), fall can be a great time of year to drop a few pounds.
Here are 4 simple and proven ways to get rid of belly fat in the fall.
#1. Television
You read that right – TV. Fall is when your favourite TV shows start their new seasons, your favourite football team starts playing, and when baseball crowns a World Series champion. Grab your shorts and headphones and get to the gym. You’d be amazed at how quickly time passes on the treadmill while you are watching your favourite show or game. I’ve used this trick a million times and it never ceases to amaze me how the time seems to fly by.
#2. More/Better Sleep
As the days get shorter there are more dark hours starting earlier in the evening. This means you can get to bed earlier and possibly sleep better in a dark environment than you normally do in the summer. In addition, there’s something comfy about crawling under the covers on a cold dark night that’s conducive to good sleep. Getting enough quality sleep every night is essential to good health.
#3. A Change of Wardrobe
The fall always brings out the sweatshirts and jeans leaving behind the bathing suits and revealing tops. Trying to lose weight by watching a scale is the worst possible way to go. I’ve always advocated people using a pair of pants (jeans) as a reliable guide to their progress (or lack thereof). Scales are useless, evil machines that only torment their users.
Using your jeans to measure your progress will provide you with much less mental and emotional stress compared to watching numbers go up and down every day. Besides not watching the scale, wearing heavier clothes also takes the pressure off that you normally feel in the summer when you are reminded every day of how far you have to go. Use the change of wardrobe to take a mental break. Stop beating yourself up and focus that energy on learning to eat and exercise correctly.
#4. A Change in Eating Habits
The colder months typically bring a change towards heavier comfort foods, but that doesn’t have to mean piling on more pounds. Fall is a great time to learn to use your crock pot to cook healthy chicken or turkey recipes and soups. There are many healthy comfort food recipes available on the internet that are quick, easy, tasty, and perfect for a cold evening.
There’s no excuse to gain weight during the colder months. While our ancestors may have needed extra fat to survive the winter months, we certainly have no need for such adaptations. Fall is a great time to get into some healthy habits from getting quality sleep to learning some new healthy recipes.
Don’t use the change of seasons as an excuse to let yourself go!
