Be Healthy in the Winter Time.

Finally winter arrived. This one of the warmest winter over 20 years in Toronto. Most of the time, the temperature was above zero, and unfortunately we didn’t have a lot of snow. Yes, we love snow! That’s the best part of the winter, see the snow flakes falling from the sky is amazing. And also fresh snow is the best snow to do ski and snowboard for who loves Outdoor sports!  Actually, Canadians are one of the best in winter sports, like: Hockey; Skating, Skis, Curling. It's a nice opportunity to be fit and healthy and still doing what you like.

  

  

I came here to alert who doesn’t like to do winter sports, and prefer stays home watching Tv. sitting on the sofa. I know this is so cozy be inside, beside the fire, under of a heavy blanket and drinking a delicious hot chocolate. Sounds like a dream, and it is. But not everyday, once in a blue moon, maybe in a romantic night with boyfriend or husband. Let’s celebrate life, enjoying the fresh air, being outside doing something productive (whatever makes you happy), but please don’t spend all your winter’s nights, inside and eating.  This will makes you sedentary, fat and depressed. Don’t think negative, that it is so hard be outside feeling cold. Think positive, I’ll stay outside feeling the fresh air, exercising, and burning calories. Winter is not the best time to gain weight, but it is to lose weight.  To warming up your body you can burn many calories. Using temperature to increase your caloric expenditure can be beneficial. If you are cold and shivering, you can take encouragement from the fact that you are burning extra calories while trying to stay warm. The more you shiver, the more you burn. Don’t think is it amazing?

  

Now let’s talk about we like more, food! Because you are burning calories all the time to warming up, you need to consume more calories. BUT this is not an excuse to eat just fatty food. You just need to do winter diet, and of course you can eat much more than in the summer!

Some Winter diet tips:

Soups

Not only does it warm the soul, but a steaming bowl of soup is also one nutritionist's secret to calorie-control. Most Sundays in the winter, I make a pot of a non-cream vegetable soup to keep in my refrigerator for the week. At work, I'll eat a small container of the soup right before having the rest of my lunch, and then when I walk in the door starving, I have a mug of warm soup before dinner. It's a therapeutic, low-cal way to curb my appetite -- and research has shown that eating soup before a meal can slash the overall number of calories you consume.

Shepherd’s Pie

It is a little bit heavy, but still a good choice to have for lunch. Nutrition ingredient; potatoes, extra lean beef and you can add some vegetables and cheese. Try to use more vegetables, and less cheese.

Oatmeal

Everybody know how Oats are really really healthy. I enjoy a lot to have some with bananas. Sometimes we need something that it will give us more sustainability throughout the day. So let’s make an Oatmeal with some nuts, very nutrition and you’ll keep you awake for all day.

I am so excited to enjoying my winter, even if this one was so short. Spring is coming and will be another beautiful season to make different things, and eat different food. One of  the best things in Canada for me, we are able to have the 4 seasons, that in Brazil is 

just the summer. Have fun!!!!