Eating when housebound due to inclement weather may be a common reaction for you.
We had six consecutive days of rain here in Grand Cayman last week and there’s no doubt that mindless munching, coach-potato crunching and bored walks to the refrigerator took their toll.
No doubt the rains will come again.
For some girls and guys, rainy weather is a minor inconvenience that barely interrupts their routine and commitment to a healthy lifestyle. We see them walking or jogging, with some braving the ocean and others at the gym.
For other guys and gals, the first sign of weather hails in a large shopping spree at the grocery store gathering their favourite munchies and beverages, or watching shows and movies. It’s the “let’s hunker down and wait it out” mentality.
Sometimes there’s a healthy balance between both.
Why do some folks brave the elements and stick with exercise and healthy living routines while others immediately hibernate? The answer has a lot to do with perception, beliefs, experience, common sense and general attitude.
Readers tempted to overeat during inclement weather may find the following tips helpful in getting through house-bound feelings:
Don’t bring home what’s hard to control. Buy salty/sweet snacks like popcorn, whole grain crackers, crunchy veggies and hummus, low-fat cheese, olives, dates, raisins, walnuts, almonds, apples, grapes and other fruits.
Creative people find it hard be bored at home – so get creative and dive into hobbies including clearing backlogged personal e-mails, finishing a back-burner project or making a pot of soup.
Keep moving. Housework keeps you physically moving, which reduces appetite and interest in snacking. Take time on your yoga mat or dust off the old treadmill, (yes, it’s still there). Plug in some tunes and boogie. Exercise lifts feelings of depression, loneliness and stress-related eating.
Give yourself a break if you do overeat and make a decision that the whole healthy living and weight loss thing is not shot because of one week of unsuperhero-like behaviour. Just get back on track.
Donna Mitchell is a lifestyle consultant specialising in weight management and self-help. She can be contacted on [email protected]
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