So a friend of mine has been putting on some weight over the winter, especially over the holidays. During one of our coffee sessions I remark about this - in a nice sort of way.
So my friend begins to explain that the human body needs to store fat during the winter to deal with the cold. Just like bears. He continues to explain that weight gain is necessary because someone like me would die in the winter and someone like himself might pickup my scraps for a small snack. He chuckles and is quick to point out my white fingertips. My friend likes to be right. All the time. *Sigh*
I understand our bodies and appetites change with the seasons and there may be scientific reasons for this that date back to the survival of our ancestors. Temperatures fall, we stay indoors, days get shorter and we gain weight. This is, of course, compounded by holiday office parties, family parties, kid’s parties, dinners, get-to-gethers etc. Also, don’t most TV sports like hockey, football and basketball take place during the winter months over beer, pizza and wings? Essentially we become sedentary and overindulge. Interestingly enough though clients I work with seem to move along just fine over the winter months - until the holidays. And coincidentally around January 1st pounds seem to start shedding. So regardless of our natural tendency to gain weight during the winter months, weight gain is essentially a direct result of eating more calories than you burn.
Of course my simple answer is not good enough. My friend begins to explain recent studies and the latest statistics. My eyes glaze over, my head begins to nod and I suggest it’s time to go. As we get up my friend grabs his down filled jacket, wool toque and Thinsulate gloves. We make our way through an underground path, which leads us to the indoor parking lot where my friend has parked his vehicle. As he settles into his vehicle’s heated seats I remind him that he is now going to drive his fully insulated body and his heated seated vehicle back to his underground parking garage, get into his elevator and go back to his space – with central heating...Dude, were not Eskimos. My friend chuckles at my white fingertips and offers a lift...no thanks man, I can walk.
Enjoy yourself in good health and fitness/gena.
