For women, the fall and winter seasons are truly magical. Long gone are the days of doing ab workouts before walking into a pool party, spending hours in the tanning bed and making sure every inch of our legs are
perfectly shaven.

These cool months are full of big sweaters, long scarves, stretching leggings and, of course, many delicious goodies to
fatten us up.

Fall and winter are home to three major holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, all of which come with mounds of candy, desserts, fatty meats and grandma’s homemade mashed potatoes. By the time New Year’s rolls around, every woman is jumping in her jeans just to get them on and feeling their favorite shirt get a little tight around the shoulder area.
Now, I am not saying you shouldn’t treat yourself to seconds of those dishes your family only brings out during the holidays, but these wonderful seasons shouldn’t leave you with months of regret.

One of the big reasons many women pack on the pounds during the holidays is Starbucks. Every #basic girl understands that the pumpkin spice latte, the peppermint mocha and the eggnog latte only come around once a year. That doesn’t mean you should indulge in one of them five times a day. But, if you do need your sweet coffee fix twice or three times a day, make one or more of them a skinny.
According to Starbucks’ website, using nonfat milk can decrease your calorie intake by 120 calories, using sugar-free syrup takes off another 20 and opting out of the whip cream, you lose 50-100 calories. A regular grande pumpkin spice latte is 380 calories. You
do the math.

Also, many of us living in the South are not used to working out in cold weather. Running three miles does not sound as fun when the air is so cold you can’t breathe and the wind gust makes your throat feel as dry as a desert.

But, be not afraid. Recently I read an article in Women’s Health Magazine. In the article, Kevin Plancher, M.D., head of Plancher Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in New York City, said, “Because your body has to work harder in the cold, your endorphin production is boosted even more, leading to a happier state of mind.”

And happy people just don’t kill their husbands, you know?

Research published in both Medicine & Science and Sports & Exercise said you burn more calories in the winter. The loss of the heat and humidity allows the body to keep going for longer. So, not only do you burn more calories, but working out in the winter also makes you a happier person. Who doesn’t want that?

Finally, another way to not gain weight in the winter is to keep some tighter sweaters and long-sleeve shirts in your closet. This way, you can’t hide behind baggy sweaters and loose-fitting T-shirts for six months.
On those days when you feel like throwing on something huge, grab that fitted shirt instead and remind yourself of how great your body looks and how much you want it to stay that way.

Sure, packing on a few pounds in the winter is inevitable, but your body does not have to change for the worst over these next few months. Just keep to these steps and look online to find some other helpful tips, and you’ll be looking just as good at the end of February as you did at the beginning of June.