Cold Weather Clothes and a Cold Weather Plan for the Winter: Part I

It seems like the weather has gone from warm summer to cold fall in a matter of days. And, while I am quite enjoying the cooler weather, it poses a threat to the little routine I've established. There are several reasons for this, and several issue with which I need to deal. So, just like swapping out my summer clothes for my winter clothes, I need to swap out summer good eating, exercise and healthy living routines for my fall / winter ones.

Thankfully, I live in San Diego, so the changes I have to make are not as stark as those for someone in, say, Minnesota. That said, following is a list of the new issues the colder weather presents:

1. Waking up in the morning to exercise: One thing I love to do in the cold weather is to snuggle under my nice warm blankets in my nice soft, warm bed. Waking up in the morning and getting out of the wonderful warmth of my bed is nearly impossible.
• My Cold Weather Plan:
  (a) For me, turning the heat up actually HELPS me to get out of bed because I don't have to leave the comfort of my nice warm snuggly blankets, the house is a reasonable temperature. I know that for some, this has the opposite effect, so just do what works for you - but turning the heat up, just a bit, so that it is comfortable to get out of bed works for me.
  
  (b) Set the coffee pot to brew 15 minutes before I need to get out of bed. I will smell the coffee and want some. I understand this is a sign of my horrendous and unhealthy caffeine addiction, but it gets me out of bed, then I limit myself to one cup or less and only in the morning, and very little, if any, cream.
  
  (c) My husband gets up early, I have him turn on the light in the bedroom when he gets out of the shower - which is about 15 minutes before I need to get out of bed. It helps me wake up.
  
2. Staying motivated and finding fun things to do for exercise when it is cold and / or rainy outside: I love to walk, hike, and bike. I love the outdoors. Happily, I can enjoy the outdoors and those activities even in the winter in San Diego. However, some days it is just too cold or rainy to be outside and it's also dark longer, the days are shorter.
• My cold weather plan: I already participate in quite a few exercise classes that I absolutely LOVE during the week. I think I mentioned this in an earlier post, but these are classes I attend because I really enjoy them...not just for exercise. So, I'm pretty okay for the week days - it's the weekend where the problems may arise. Here is what my husband and I do: When we can go for a long walk or a nice long hike, we will. When we cannot, we have a few options:
  
  (a) We can go to the gym and do a nice workout there, takes about an hour out of our day and burns quite a few calories (500-700)
  
  (b) We have several Kinect and Wii Fit games that require us to move - we can play those for an hour or two - they don't burn as many calories, but they will do in a pinch - not something on which I would rely on a daily basis, but in a situation where I need to get some extra exercise in, they work nicely.
  
  (c) we have invested in several exercise DVD's (which I will discuss later) and these will do in a pinch as well.
  
  (d) Now that we know how to dance (we have been taking ballroom dancing lessons on Friday and Sunday evenings) we may start to explore places where we can go dance for a while on the weekend. There, four options for cold weather, indoor activities that my husband and I can use to replace our weekend outdoor activities when the weather is not cooperating.
  
3. Yummy Holiday food. 'nuf said.
• My Cold Weather Plan:
  (a) I plan to enjoy the food. I did last Christmas, and I will this Christmas. However, I will enjoy the food in moderation (one tamale instead of three) and
  
  (b) I will institute the "only eat what I love" rule. If I do not absolutely love something, I will not eat it - you'd be surprised how many Holiday treats you throw in your mouth just because they are sitting around. Now, there are lots of foods that I love, and that means that I will very likely be over on my calories on a few days over the Holiday season.
  
  (c) For some people, this may sound irresponsible and for some it may not work - but I'm not going to worry about going over a little on my calorie budget over the Holidays. I will, however, keep copious track of my calories and everything I eat, as I always do. I find that when I write down/enter into my iPhone app everything I eat; I will not eat as much because the prospect of ingesting so many calories will freak me out.
  
  (d) Honestly, I know that I will gain 3-5 pounds over the Holidays, I did last year.  I will eat a very light, healthy diet and add a bit more exercise into my routine where I can in the weeks before the Holidays and between events to mitigate the damage. Then I will work very hard after the Holidays to get back on track. (I did this last year and lost what I gained over the Holidays within 3 weeks)