Illustration by Jon Krause
Come winter in St. Louis, it’s not easy to stay fit. You go to work, then it gets dark. Even during daytime, the sun may not shine. That lack of light makes us SAD—that is, depressed via seasonal affective disorder—which we try to treat with sugar and alcohol. Rich holiday fare also packs on the pounds. It gets cold. We sleep longer. It rains. We turn on the tube and nibble, foregoing Pride, indulging in the more deadly sins of Sloth and Gluttony.
But with a little planning and—dare I say it—self-discipline, we need not find ourselves fat and shapeless come spring. So say fitness gurus Jeff Bettag of the Kirkwood Family YMCA and Van Becker, a trainer at Wellbridge Athletic Club & Spa in Clayton.
As with most sins, it’s nature’s fault, says Becker: “In winter, we go into a hibernation mode. Our metabolism slows down. Seasonal affective disorder sets in. We see an increase in melatonin, the neurotransmitter that puts us into deep, REM sleep, making us lethargic. To fight it, we use caffeine and sugar and carbohydrates. The result is weight gain.”
On top of that, we face “the five worst days,” says Becker, in terms of high-calorie, high-fat intake: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Super Bowl Sunday, and Valentine’s Day.
Bettag agrees: “It’s a double whammy. Most people are looking to lose weight. It’s brutal trying to go through those months without blowing it.”
The antidote, they both say, is diet and exercise. They offered some tips to make that easier, more effective, and more enjoyable.
Set reasonable goals.
Washboard abs and slender physiques as seen on TV are not realistic for most of us, says Bettag. “But you can be fit without spending hours in the gym. Start with three days a week, half an hour a day, and add an extra day or 15 minutes” when you can. Winter exercise, he says, is a holding action. “The biggest problem is that we set ourselves up to fail when we promise to work out six or seven days a week, an hour a day. A half hour is better than nothing.”
And if you can’t get to the gym, there are a number of good exercises, such as balance training and yoga, that you can do at home. You can find numerous routines, he says, by searching YouTube (youtube.com). Becker concurs with Bettag’s take on keeping things level: “In winter, count weight not gained as weight lost.”
Keep motivated.
Becker once bet a client—a devout Democrat who wanted to lose 5 pounds—two hours of personal training against a $200 donation to the Republican National Committee that she couldn’t lose the weight. Aghast at the thought of getting on the Republicans’ mailing list, she lost 14 pounds. But self-motivation can be a dicey problem in winter, exacerbated by gray days and bad weather that makes us want to cocoon. Becker says too much sleep, a problem for some in winter, can also make us lethargic and unmotivated.
Counting exercise’s benefits—better blood pressure, cholesterol, and mood, plus the weight you won’t have to lose come spring—also helps. But vigorous exercise is, in effect, its own reward, Becker says. The endorphins that come from it tickle the same place in the brain as marijuana, producing the “high” or “endorphin rush” that runners claim to experience.
Nonetheless, the thought of daily exercise can be demotivating to some, says Bettag. “They think, ‘I have to do this the rest of my life?’ Yes, everyone has to eat right and exercise. Exercising gives you a certain energy level.”
Try interval training.
Both trainers advocate high-intensity interval training for efficient fitness. Becker says it gets the heart rate up and produces the peptides that elevate mood and can mitigate seasonal affective disorder. Most electronic cardiovascular machines—stationary bikes, elliptical trainers, treadmills, stair climbers, etc.—have built-in interval programs that vary your workout. Classes can help you develop a disciplined routine, but book early; Bettag says YMCA classes get swamped in winter. Becker suggests alternating cardiovascular training with weight lifting from day to day, to work your heart while maintaining muscle mass and tone.
Eat smart.
Part of our winter weight gain can be attributed to how our diets change in winter, says Bettag. “We tend to eat fewer fruits and vegetables, make heavier meals, and eat more. So portion control is important.” But neither trainer advocates Spartan self-denial, particularly when it comes to holidays and parties. “You want to enjoy the holidays,” says Bettag. “You don’t have to eliminate the things you love.”
You do, however, need to practice moderation. Becker suggests eating a small piece of chocolate or something similar before attending a food-laden event. Doing so gives your body some sugar and fat that produces a sense of preparty satiety, fighting overindulgence. He also counsels going to the party with a strategy, so you don’t start mindlessly grazing on high-fat, high-calorie foods. “Think about what you are going to eat and what you’re going to drink beforehand,” says Becker, then stick to your plan.
Avoid incremental weight gain.
As we mature, it’s easy to dismiss modest weight gain in winter. The problem, says Becker, is that as we grow “more sedentary, eat more, and accumulate weight each year, after 20 or 25 years we ask, ‘How did I gain 25 pounds?’” Bettag says success is to “just keep it level.” Further, after age 40 we tend to lose muscle—estimated at a pound a year—when we don’t exercise enough. So even if you weigh the same, you are likely gaining fat and shedding muscle if you are not practicing some sort of weight training.
Get outside.
Outdoor exercise—such as walking, jogging, or hiking—helps to keep us invigorated and motivated. To stay healthy while exercising outside during winter, Becker suggests dressing in layers that you can peel off as you heat up, starting with a base garment of synthetic wicking material and adding an outer shell. One of Bettag’s personal-training clients, Romana Swann of Kirkwood (a grandmother and self-proclaimed “lady of leisure”), alternates her indoor weight-training, yoga, and treadmill sessions with long hikes along Kirkwood’s wooded streets and sojourns to the country. “It’s not like we’re in Minnesota or Siberia,” she says. “Even when the sun doesn’t shine, there are a lot of glorious days here in winter.”
Novelist and St. Louis native Rick Skwiot now spends his winters in much-warmer Key West, Fla.
