Winter workout hacks by celebrity fitness expert, Neeraj Mehta

Winter is that time of the year when you don’t feel like working out. Understandably so, the warmth of the blanket and the comfort of a high calorie mealare both more alluring. But would you just let go of the body you made in summer? Celebrity fitness expert, Neeraj Mehta has the perfect solution for you. “Don’t beat yourself up over guilty pleasures. Instead handle the weather and its nuances smartly. For example, instead of pushing yourself to do an hour long workout every day, include a simple circuit workout on days you feel lazy.”

Here is a sample workout:

Warm up

Basic steps and run for 2-3 min

Circuit 1 (Repeat 3 times)
Plank Hold 1 min
Pushups 10 reps
Free Squats 20 reps
Spot Run 1 min

Circuit 2 (Repeat 2 times)
V Sit-ups 10 reps
Climbing 10 each side
Head / Hand Stand 30 second
Animal Walk 30 steps

Deep breathing and jogging are good in winters. One can add these too in their fitness routine.

Now we come to the trickier part. We all know it is about 70 per cent diet and only 30 per cent workout. Here are safe ways to satiate your winter appetite:

1. Don’t avoid your breakfast: Add protein and fats

Grab bullet coffee (coffee with a spoon of butter / coconut butter), with 2-3 boiled / scrambled eggs. You can stop your hunger with protein and fats. It will make you feel full and energetic. Fat can stay in your stomach for longer, and it will satisfy your hunger, protein is involved in many functions in our body, there are a lot of studies about protein that it can satisfy longer compared to carbohydrates and also reduce craving of sugary food, so adding protein will help control your appetite by keeping you full for longer duration.

2. Drink water

People feel hungry, especially in winters and end up eating more. But sometimes it could be thirst that’s giving you false signals. So sipping on water regularly throughout the day can keep your metabolism high and also helps in metabolizing fat from the body. Hot or warm water may make you feel even more satisfied in comparison to plain water. Hot tea or coffees are also good options, which you can add very often throughout the day.

3. Cut down your carbohydrates intake: Go for high fiber foods
One gram of carbohydrate holds three grams of water in our body. We can cut down some carbohydrates in our meals so the body will hold less water, which helps you to maintain body weight. There are several of studies shows, people who eat high fiber feel more satisfied in compare with people who eat less fiber diet.

4. Eat often
Don’t skip your meals. Skipping meals and eating irregularly can seriously slow down your metabolism. Eating often is the key to maintain you weight by boosting your metabolism. Instead of eating 3 meals, you should add 2-3 times snakes in your daily meal plan. This will help to manage craving and hunger in between the meals. Also, it is important to make a proper plate and focus on what you eat, don’t eat watching TV, it may causing you to overeat.