If you want to avoid winter weight gain (and who doesn’t?!), follow these simple self-care hacks.

Everyone talks about losing weight for bikini season. Ha! I quit wearing bikinis about the time I finished college and decided to stop doing things that made me uncomfortable. Walking around in a bikini makes me uncomfortable. It’s too much like walking around in my underwear, and my skin is one shade darker than paper white. People had to put their sunglasses on when I walked by.

And then there are the 20 years I struggled with my weight. Pregnancy accounted for some of the weight gain, and poor health choices and stress accounted for most of it. Maybe you can relate. So when the final days of winter roll around and magazines start screaming promises from the checkout stands, I laugh. They claim this diet or that exercise program will get my body back in bikini shape.

What if we could keep our bodies healthy all. winter. long? Sure, the temptations loom larger (namely Thanksgiving and Christmas), and motivation shrinks with the hours of daylight. You might think avoiding winter weight gain presents an insurmountable goal. But these self-care hacks (not diets or exercise programs) will help you avoid winter weight gain. Trust me, I’ve made it through four super-stressful winters by using these hacks, and my weight has remained the same.

Which hack will you start with?

You can figure out your why by downloading this FREE Self-Care Checklist.

Here’s information on the science of self-talk that might interest you.

James Clear has a great post on stacking habits.

This post and this post talk about the benefits of healthy competition.

Do you need a fitness tracker? (Hint. YES!)

Did you know sleep and weight have a strong connection? I didn’t, until I did some research on the importance of sleep for maintaining healthy weight.

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