Now that Fall is here, this cooler season is a perfect time to kickstart your weight-loss goals. Once summer is over, we all find ourselves falling back into a regular routine, and there is still plenty of time before the holiday parties arrive to get fit and healthy. The combination of regular routines, and the beautiful fall weather is an inspiration to eat better and be more active outdoors!
So don’t wait until the New Year to get started on your road to weight loss, or else you’re missing out on the best season eating right and exercising. Autumn is an optimal time of year for weight loss, and during this season you will be well-equipped to handle the holiday hurdles that will be here before you know it.
Looking for tricks and tips to slim down this season? We’re here to help! In our blog below, NJ Diet provides simple, “seasonal” ways to slim down!
Ways to Jump-Start Weight Loss This Fall
Take Advantage Of The Great Outdoors
Fall’s lack of humidity makes exercising outdoors a breeze, and increasing physical activity is a great way to speed up metabolism and take advantage of autumn’s cooler temps is a fast pass to weight loss success. Take an after-dinner stroll or start off your day with a brisk, morning jog. Engaging in fun fall activities like apple or pumpkin picking, or raking leaves burns lots of calories! Devote time to exercise each day, even if it is 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night.
Start Your Day With Breakfast
Having breakfast gets your engine started during those critical morning hours. And research shows that skipping breakfast is an invitation for over-eating or grabbing less nutritious foods later in the day. Focus breakfast on lean protein, and fruits or vegetables and try to avoid excessive carbs like breads and muffins. If you’re not a breakfast person, a low-fat yogurt and a piece of fruit is enough to get your day started and keep your appetite under control.
Enjoy Healthy, Seasonal Foods
Autumn, with its tasty array of seasonal produce, makes it easy to load up on healthy, nutritious foods. Hit the grocery store or local farm to stock up on your fall favorites, such as apples and pumpkins.
Pumpkin is great for far more than the non-diet friendly pumpkin pie, breads and muffins. Take advantage of the abundance of fresh pumpkin and turn it into healthy pumpkin soup, toasted pumpkin seeds, or even a pumpkin smoothie!
Instead of apple pie, try incorporating cut-up apples into salads, or mixing cut-up apples with lemon juice and a pinch of cinnamon and baking or microwaving. One medium apple packs fewer than 100 calories and more than 4 grams of filling fiber. Plus, studies have linked them to a lower risk of diabetes, healthier lung function, and protection against certain kinds of cancer.
Also, hearty soups are a perfect way to include nutritious and delicious fall vegetables into your diet, as soups are super-filling, easy to make and freeze well.
Snooze To Lose
One thing people like least about fall are the shorter days, but it’s important not to overcompensate by getting less sleep. Studies that explore the correlation between sleep and your weight show that adults who don’t get enough sleep tend to weigh more than those who get the recommended 7-9 hours per night. Try setting an earlier bedtime, and ditch the devices and silence your cell phone to start unwinding. Avoid eating, exercising or napping right before you go to sleep, as well.
Embrace A More Structured Schedule
Autumn is the perfect time to plan out healthy habits for the year. The lack of structure or sticking to a schedule during summer can make planning meals and scheduling exercise difficult. But fall encourages a more structured schedule, and it’s a good idea to take advantage of that in terms of your health and diet! Fall is a great time to get organized, and try out meal planning for the week. Get a head-start on healthy eating by preparing your meals in individual serving containers, and mark the days you can work in a workout. When it comes to weight loss, a little planning goes a long way!
Weight Loss Roadblocks To Avoid This Fall
Keep Cravings At Bay
Cravings are one of the biggest challenge in losing weight, so to keep cravings at bay try eating every few hours to prevent getting ravenous and also keep your blood sugar stable. We often tend to go too long without eating during our busy days, then end up overeating the wrong kind of foods. Keep healthy snacks handy, such as unsalted nuts, dried fruit single-serving yogurts, and low-fat cheese will help battle hunger, and snacks high in fiber and lean protein will keep you feeling full between meals. And don’t avoid the foods you crave all the time; just eat them occasionally in small portions.
Avoid Hiding Under Your Wardrobe
Now that sweater weather is here, it’s not the time to make excuses by hiding under layers of baggy clothing. Cooler temps warrant this type of attire, but it shouldn’t be a reason to skip that workout or over-indulge. Avoid loose layers and elastic bands and opt for clothes that fit your frame and keep you getting lazy with your wellness. When wearing clothes that fit well, you will actually be less likely to reach for unhealthy treats and you’ll have a good gauge of your weight. Plus, you’ll just feel better and more confident in well-fitting clothing!
Plan Ahead
The kids are back to school, but the extra-curricular activities and lack of free time starts adding up. Work is busier, and the rush to get ahead at work before the holiday season hits makes schedules feel extra-hectic. Many find this season a tough time to stick to a diet and exercise plan when you have so much to do, and trying to prepare a healthy dinner when time is super-limited becomes daunting!
There are simple solutions you can embrace, however. Grabbing a pre-made meal when you just don’t have the time to cook is one idea. Most supermarkets carry prepared rotisserie chickens and pre-cut veggies that get a healthy meal on the table in minutes. As for how to plan fitting in fitness, you need to schedule it along with all your other activities! Schedule in gym time, block out an hour for a bike ride, hike or a walk. Putting it into your calendar and sticking to it will keep you more accountable.
Fall Festivities = Food Temptations
Fall weight loss may seem impossible feat – what with the endless amounts of candy leading up to Halloween, the pumpkin breads, cider donuts, apple pies any many other carb-filled treats. A simple trip to the farm to go pumpkin picking can sometimes turn into the temptation of eating all the wrong types of foods that do not fit into a healthy diet or eating plan!
Instead, focus your fall activities on getting active and enjoying the weather by apple and pumpkin picking. Spending the afternoons walking around and enjoying the brisk air and fall foliage. There are many ways to be festive this season without making it a food fail!
Daylight Savings Shouldn’t Get You Down
In November, most of us “fall back,” — that is, we get one extra hour of sleep as we switch the clocks back an hour. While the goal should be to get more sleep, in fact our sleep can be disturbed for up to a week or more after the time change. We may sleep less, get up earlier, wake up in the middle of the night and even have trouble getting to sleep — and sleep deprivation has been proven to lead to weight gain. To beat these fall weight loss traps, try to adjust your internal body clock by going to bed a little earlier, and avoiding alcohol and caffeinated beverages four to six hours before bedtime. Trying to keep sleep schedules on the weekends is also a great way to adjust to the time change.
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As you can see, there are many ways that fall is a great time to get healthier, focus on wellness and lose weight. Autumn is an ideal season to jump-start healthy eating and exercise programs. Routines are ideal for helping people find time to fit in fitness, prepare healthier meals and make sure they take care of their own personal health needs. And the cool crisp weather is nature’s invitation to be outside!
So don’t wait until the New Year to get started on the “new you,” or else you’re missing out on the best season for getting on track. By establishing a trim-down routine now, you’ll be well-equipped to handle the unhealthy holiday hurdles that will be here before you know it!
