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Do you notice yourself gaining weight during the cold winter months? Is it because of the holidays or is there another reason?
Many people gain weight during the winter and blame it on the excess food during the holidays. However, as it turns out, your winter weight gain isn’t your fault—it’s prehistoric programming.
Discover the science behind this seasonal shift and learn how to keep your physical and mental health on track this winter.
The Science Behind Winter Weight Gain
Your body wants you to gain weight this winter—and it’s not just because of those holiday cookies. While most of us blame our winter weight gain on festive indulgences and hibernation-like tendencies, scientists have uncovered an evolutionary story behind those extra pounds. Our ancient ancestors’ survival depended on their ability to pack on weight before winter’s food shortages, and our bodies still carry this prehistoric programming.
Why Do We Gain Weight Over the Winter?
Studies have consistently found a pattern of weight gain during the winter months and attributed it to common factors like decreased physical activity and dietary shifts. While the extent of weight gain may vary, research indicates that on average, people tend to gain one to two pounds over the winter, with some studies reporting an average gain of around 0.8 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.
At the core of winter weight gain lies an evolutionary drive rooted in our ancestral past. Our prehistoric ancestors faced periods of food scarcity during the harsh winter, and the ability to store extra fat reserves gave them a crucial survival advantage. Researchers at the University of Exeter found that our evolutionary drive to avoid starvation is stronger than our desire to prevent overeating, which might push us instinctively toward increased food intake during winter. This innate urge helped to ensure people’s survival.
Additionally, research from the University of Alberta suggests that the body seems to respond to reduced sunlight exposure during winter by increasing its fat storage. The study found that fat cells beneath the skin tend to shrink and release stored fat when exposed to the blue light wavelengths from the sun. This mechanism could have helped our ancestors conserve energy during the darker winter months.
What Choices Contribute Most to Winter Weight Gain?
Assuming that we evolved to gain weight over winter to ensure our survival during the coldest months, questions remain about exactly how our bodies put on those extra pounds.
One of the primary mechanisms that leads to winter weight gain is a decrease in physical activity. As temperatures drop and daylight hours decrease, people tend to spend more time indoors, away from sunlight. Indoors, they’re more sedentary. Additionally, dietary shifts play a significant role, since we often indulge in richer, more calorie-dense comfort foods and holiday treats over the winter.
Experts say that understanding the biological mechanisms behind winter weight gain can help you strategize about how to maintain healthy habits year-round. They say you can proactively manage your weight gain with mindful eating, regular exercise, and daily exposure to natural light.
In her book The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin suggests these tips for boosting physical and mental energy.
Physical Energy Boosters
Boost your physical energy in two key ways:
- Get better sleep by optimizing your environment—lower your lights at night and avoid stimulating activities like video games right before bed. Additionally, question if you really enjoy doing things late at night—and push them off to the weekend if possible.
- Exercise more—look for workout routines you’ll genuinely enjoy and find ways to sneak exercise into your everyday life. Find a friend who loves their exercise routine, and try it out for yourself. Additionally, commit to walking more. For example, if you need to run errands in nearby locations, walk instead of driving.
Mental Energy Boosters
Your surroundings have a strong bearing on your attitude, feelings of calm, and energy. Boost your mental energy in two ways:
- Eliminatie physical clutter. This creates happiness by eliminating negative feelings like frustration, such as when you can’t find what you’re looking for. Furthermore, though you have fewer belongings in the end, they’re the belongings that you use and really like.
- Eliminate mental clutter. Tackling a list of your incomplete tasks eliminates the overwhelm and guilt that you experience when thinking about all you haven’t done.
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