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Surviving the Winter: Easing the Toll on Health and Fitness
By Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County
The Truth Contributor
Although some local residents
love the winter, it can easily take a toll on our health and
wellness. I’ll admit that I love living in a place with
four seasons but I know as the cold weather moves in and all
the Halloween candy is now on sale at the stores, it can be
a time of year to think about “survival”.
You may be thinking “don’t remind me” but it is the time of
year to make a healthy plan for the holidays and the winter
season. Survivor’s Guide to Winter is the theme of
the 2015 Live Healthy Live Well Online Challenge, a free
six-week email challenge designed to help participants
challenge their health, emotional wellbeing, and survival
skills this season.
The Survivor’s Guide to Winter will cover a wide variety of
topics from: cooking during the season, beating holiday
stress, creating a winter tool kit, staying positive,
finding ways to move, cultivating relationships and
opportunities, and financial tips.
Wow! That’s a lot of topics. What do they all have to do
with healthy eating? In reality, all of those topics can
easily sway our decisions about food. If we are feeling
rushed, obligated, stressed or sad, we don’t always make the
healthiest food choices.
While comfort food is often very personal and might
represent different foods to different people, winter
comfort food is often hearty and rich. Unfortunately, if
comfort food is too rich or too high in calories and eaten
too often, it will add extra calories and fat to the daily
diet which results in weight gain.
Clemson University Extension defines comfort food as
“any food or beverage that gives a
comforting, satisfying feeling after you consume it. It
provides temporary relief (e.g. stress relief) or a sense of
emotional well-being (e.g. happiness, security or a
reward)”. There are no “bad” foods but if food is being used
for emotional comfort and not for hunger satisfaction and
nutrition, it could cause a winter weight gain.
What does “surviving the winter” mean from a nutrition point
of view? Although winter doesn’t pull up the same images of
blue skies and fresh produce compared to when we think about
summer or fall, there are plenty of fall fruits and
vegetables that store well and are available through the
next few months like apples, onions, winter squash, sweet
potatoes, beets and turnips.
In addition, winter is a good time to experiment and try new
recipes with frozen foods and low-sodium canned foods. It’s
the time of year when a hearty bowl of oatmeal or other
cooked cereal with fruit and nuts is a great start to the
day.
Instead of feeling stressed, can we cultivate feelings of
relaxation, gratitude and healthy resolutions? Can this
winter be a time of health and wellness and thriving verses
just surviving? What are your favorite comfort foods and
how can they fit into your healthy lifestyle?
Can you adapt recipes? Choose smaller portions of that food
less often? What are some healthy ways you like to
counteract stress and cooped-up feelings during the
wintertime? My winter wish for you is a healthy, delicious
and enjoyable season.
Join us online for the six-week wellness challenge as we
give tips for a healthier lifestyle and better balance
during the holidays. Sign up here:
http://go.osu.edu/SGWLucas.
The Challenge lasts from November 23, 2015 to
January 3, 2016. If you have questions, please feel free to
contact your OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences
Educator in Lucas County, Patrice Powers-Barker,
powers-barker.1@osu.edu
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