Day 285: In the Thick of It

Let’s talk about a hidden secret many of us carry around. We bury it underneath bulky sweaters, winter coats, and multiple layers. We revel in the security of the winter wardrobe so that no one will discover that the monkey on our back is the spare tire growing around our mid-sections. Yes, I’m talking about winter weight gain! You might be svelte in July, but come January lots of us are carrying around a few more pounds than we’d like. Why does this happen? More to the point, why, when we know it’s a danger, does it still happen every year?

It’s true that the fall and winter holidays come packed with calories. Starting with Halloween we have candy and heavier foods, then Thanksgiving and the December holidays pack on the fatty foods and excess. We get less exercise outdoors because the weather is cooler and daylight hours are shorter and we’re busier with shopping and family get-togethers. It seems that during the winter there is never enough time to exercise as much and everything you put in your mouth is warm, creamy and decadent.

These all seem like good arguments on the surface, but if you think about it, they don’t hold that much water. Spring and Summer have their share of holiday excess. Easter starts us off with a sugar fest similar to Halloween, but add in eggs, ham, turkey, casseroles, and whatever else people eat to celebrate Easter dinner. We have several long weekends that practically scream cookouts, weekends away and excess. Fourth of July is a big holiday food fest and most of those cookouts aren’t veggie burgers and fresh salad. We also drink more high calorie beer and spirits and even the ordinary weekends are good excuses to get together with friends and eat more.

I don’t think we can really blame the weather or social calendar for why we tend to beef up a bit in the colder months. My hypothesis, is that we’re just lazy. In the warmer months we wear less clothes not just around our partners, but around friends and complete strangers alike. Now I can’t speak for anyone else, but I don’t want my tummy flopping around for everyone to see. In the winter, the only people scoping my fat, is the one person who has already seen me at my worst so there’s really nothing to lose.

I think we just want to take a break and indulge in foods without worrying that every bite is going to be visible in the weekend bikini. All the pressure to look good and stay in shape when people can see us keeps us stressed and motivated. Come winter, it’s like we can finally exhale and sometimes we take it a bit too far. I admit I do this with other things, but even so I try to be aware of being lazy to an excess. Since it’s winter and the husband doesn’t see me during the week, I don’t shave my legs everyday, but that kind of thinking could be dangerous. Remember, he was gone for an entire year, too much laziness could have created a forest of problems. So, I think it’s okay to relax and be a little lazy, we all need our moments of indulgence, just don’t get carried away. Because just as not shaving for a couple of days can turn into a weed wacker situation if I’m not careful, those five extra pounds could equal an extra 50 and diabetes later on.