Five simple ways to avoid gaining weight in the summertime

Weight gain often happens unobtrusively, until you find your pants are not getting over the hips, or your belly is protruding visibly beneath your shirt. Several factors contribute to weight gains, such as stress, aging, improper dietary habits, addiction, inactivity, lack of sleep, and underlying diseases.

There are various risks associated with weight gain, such as heart diseases, stroke, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, etc. Among all seasons, summer is a ripe time to gain weight because people end up consuming calorie and fat intensive beverages and desserts and remain less active compared to other periods of the year.

Controlling body weight is more than just going to the gym every morning.

Make a Robust Routine to Follow During Summer

If you are in for a long summer break, you can easily fall into a life of leisure and relaxation. A good routine will help you plan your activities in advance so that you can utilize most of your time.

Ensure uniform, regular timings for your meals and snacks. Keep some time for exercise every morning and follow a healthy exercise regimen.

Fill up your day with ordinary activities to avoid daytime naps. If you are suffering from sleep disorders because of narcolepsy or sleep apnea, medicine such as sarms Canada can help evade excessive sleepiness.    

If you have a lot of free time, take up a hobby or household work which you can execute regularly. Keeping track of the time you go to bed since sleeping early and waking up early is crucial for maintaining a routined daily life, besides promoting weight loss.

Follow a Healthy Diet to Maintain Optimal Body Weight

The season of summer brings an increased temptation to consume drinks full of fat and sugar. Most people eat unhealthy, oily snacks with such beverages, which only worsen the case. Consuming the same amounts of fat-rich foods like red meat, hot dogs, bottled cocktails in summers as you do in other seasons may even create gut issues for you because your appetite decreases in warm weather.

Make a habit of consuming fresh fruits of summer, such as watermelon, mango, guava, papaya, grapes, strawberry, pineapple, etc. Maintain the right balance of carbohydrates, protein, minerals, and healthy fats in your dishes. Consume more protein-rich food like eggs, chicken, soy, milk, seafood, etc. 

Make fresh vegetables a part of your menu. Vegetables are an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals. They provide you dietary fiber, which is important to maintain good gut health and avoid digestive problems.

Understand your calorie requirements and track your calorie consumption to maintain the ideal body weight. 

During the summer, you need to stay hydrated round the clock. Make water your go-to fluid to avoid alcohol and other unhealthy fluids that can hamper your fitness goals.   

Keep Yourself Active During Summertime

The severity of summer heat varies from place to place. But with global warming in action, we are experiencing hotter summers with every passing year. It may be comfortable for people to be mostly indoors and far from the hot sun. However, this may also make you inactive and increase your chances of gaining weight. 

To counter the situation, minimize your use of digital devices, especially when you are sitting idle. Watching movies or your favorite episodes on TV or mobiles may also prompt you for unhealthy snacking, which you should avoid at any cost. Skip screen time before you go to sleep so that your usual sleep quota is not hampered, and you feel energetic in the morning. 

Even if it is hot outside, maintain your exercise and walk indoors or in your garden. Try exercising in the evening or early in the morning to avoid the summer heat.

If you are back home for an extended summer vacation, try to remain active by playing outdoor games with kids. You may also go cycling, hiking, swimming, or strolling in the local park.

Focus on Building Muscles to Control Weight Gains

In summers, you may not train as hard as you do in colder weather. However, strength training aimed at muscle building is crucial to avoid gaining weight. 

Building more muscle mass leads to a better metabolism, which ultimately results in reduced weight gains. Regular strength training is not only vital for adding lean muscles, but it also enhances bone density and reduces arthritis pain.

Muscle-building exercises make you trimmer and assist you in burning calories. Building muscles helps you to recover the muscle loss that occurs from making dietary changes, such as reducing fats and sugar. It can also actually help you to maintain your body weight in the long term because it keeps your metabolism up. A higher metabolism means you have a better ability to lose fat in the long run.

Reduce Stress to Control Your Body Weight

Stress affects your ability to regulate your body weight, and it is a serious hindrance on your path to a lean body. According to research, stress hormones such as cortisol, increase in the body in summers due to the hot temperatures. 

Studies suggest that there is a clear link between gaining body weight and psychosocial stress, and you must address the latter to maintain lean body weight. 

When you are stressed, the adrenal glands in your body release cortisol. Cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone,” is responsible for increased abdominal fat and higher bad cholesterol.     

The release of cortisol also increases sugar cravings. After you get through the stressful situation, the energy produced from this sugar intake is stored as abdominal fat, which may be difficult to shed.

According to studies, stress can drastically reduce your metabolism, which results in weight gain. Stress also leads to unhealthy habits, which may make avoiding weight gain harder for you, such as physical inactivity, emotional eating, untimely meals, insufficient sleep, etc. 

You can take several steps to manage stress and avoid gaining weight, such as eating healthy and fresh food, doing yoga, drinking more water, having proper sleep, and being engaged in physical activities.

Summer brings many perks that no cheerful person will want to miss. Enjoying the sea beach, having ice creams and cold drinks, camping in the night, or swimming in the local pool- there is no end to the fun that summer offers.

You can do all such activities and avoid gaining weight at the same time, by being mindful of the points mentioned above. With a healthy lifestyle, you can control your weight not just in summers but throughout the year.