8 Winter Health Excuses, Busted

Perhaps no season is loaded with as many potential health setbacks as winter -- shorter days, decreased light, colder weather, holiday cookies and Thanksgiving day alone can be enough to make you stay inside and give up until after the New Year.

Not so fast, says celebrity trainer Bob Greene, author of "The Life You Want," who has worked with Oprah and is currently teamed up with Phillips on a campaign to educate people about the importance of light.

"You have to make your health a priority," he says. "I'm not sure what else is more important." You wouldn't put off basic practices like brushing your teeth until January, he argues -- and the rest of your health shouldn't be on pause either.

So we rounded up some of winter's greatest health excuses and had Greene and other experts weigh in.

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Comments

[alteredstory]

07:19 PM on 11/15/2011

The whole cold-induced asthma thing is my holdup, but I do my workouts inside anyway.

Bodyrockers ftw!!

[playsindirt]

10:04 AM on 11/14/2011

I live in Missouri and run all winter. In fact, I'd rather run when its freezing than when it's hot. As a post-menopausal woman, I pretty much burst into flames after about 2 miles if it's above 50. Exercising outside in the winter is just about dressing appropriately.

[roxy730]

08:18 PM on 11/10/2011

I'm just saying that rice has more calories then fat free milk. So why substitute rice for milk.

[CAELadyJane50]

11:13 AM on 11/10/2011

Wearing hats help prevent your body heat from escaping through your heads by 90% because cold temperature travels downward while warmer temperature travels upward.

My favorite foods to eat on a cold wintry day is Campbell's tomato soup diluted with milk instead of water along with a toasted cheese sandwich (cheese in the middle of 2 slices of bread with butter on the outside and toasted in a non-stick pan on the stove).

[notsure1235]

11:02 AM on 11/10/2011

The one trick I learned how not to gain weight is to watch what I eat. When everyone throws thoses parites. I would have an apple with peanut butter and a water an hour before I would go that way I would not over eat. It is hard when all those sweets come out. It help me out a lot. I even do that before I would go to big family dinners as well.

[countj62]

09:23 AM on 11/10/2011

RESTRUCTURE YOUR BRAIN. Teach it to NOT see fast foods or candy at the checkout for starters and more will catch on.. Drink TRU MOO chocalte milk 1 gallon a week with 2 or 3 tubs of deli salsa and white corn chips as a snack. I lost 52 punds this year by restructuring my brain. And the best part- it was easy. BRAIN POWER! It is all in the head! You can not see a sign that has fast foods or eat-eat-eat.

[johnsmith1960]

09:20 AM on 11/10/2011

no its not an excuse but really obese people make it a reason thats why they r overweight.lazy and or dont care

[countj62]

09:50 AM on 11/10/2011

Go down to the phamacy and look at the first 20 people that walk in. It is a eye opener! That was my beginning of a diet.

[Pam512]

09:08 AM on 11/10/2011

The one thing about cold weather is that you move faster when you are outside, trying to get inside. I moved in with my brother this year when I lost my job and my house, and he has a two-story house. I honestly don't know how anybody can get fat if they live in a two-story house. I get upstairs and forgot something downstairs. I get downstairs and forgot something upstairs. So my memory loss is the best exercise plan I have right now!

[LisaP14]

06:23 AM on 11/10/2011

This year I got the best deals ever on the gifts I bought. I got everything from this amazing penny auction site, ( http://tinyurl.com/TopDealsOnline ) I didn't have to waste any time on lines at a mall, I didn't have to pay for shipping, I didn't have to pay for gas to go shopping, and I got prices so low that you wouldn't believe them. I got my son an 16GB iPad for less than $100, my husband a $250 gift card for Home Depot for $63, and in general got better gifts for everyone than I could ordinarily afford. I'll never pay retail again when I can easily save over 50% from my penny auction site.

[Jaynelbob]

12:38 AM on 11/10/2011

"walking around a local mall -- some even open up before hours for just that purpose".

Seriously? A mall that opens early so people can keep fit. Wow, that's pretty cool, but is the Macdonalds open at the same time - you know, just in case....

[snoopjohnny]

01:04 AM on 11/10/2011

It takes a lot of discipline but if you set your goals high and get to the mall early......I like to reward myself with a happy meal after every 3rd lap around the food court.

[Jaynelbob]

01:54 AM on 11/10/2011

Well, as long as you don't upsize each time, I think that's deserved!

[mialma Teve]

09:43 PM on 11/09/2011

No cold will stop me to keep looking good...

[snoopjohnny]

07:15 PM on 11/09/2011

Being willing to switch to seasonally available produce is a good idea; I think this flexible approach of changing your habits to stay healthy is smart. On the other hand, I didn't see the article busting my yearly excuse "I'm putting on my usual 40lbs of protective fat that shields me from these brutal So CA winters".....so I guess that one's valid.

[Mochilero]

03:37 PM on 11/09/2011

I make my health in winter a top priority every year - by going to Thailand or Mexico :-)

[dtrobert]

03:14 PM on 11/09/2011

Actually, the only produce we can get here in winter comes from California. Which means it has few nutrients, and even less taste, since it's picked well before maturity, artificially ripened upon arrival, after a long trip in a "refrigerated" truck (actually just above being a freezer). So yeah; good produce is impossible to find in winter.

[onionboy]

03:37 PM on 11/09/2011

Kiwis. They only look like a tropical fruit. I know someone who grows them in his backyard in Montana in winter.

[Siobhan Landis]

03:46 PM on 11/09/2011

Yeah - I was wondering where exactly apples are in season in February. Not locally, certainly.

[Siobhan Landis]

03:12 PM on 11/09/2011

I'm a year-round bike-commuter (-35C was the coldest I dealt with last winter), so the "It's too cold" excuse isn't really an issue with me.

Winter is definitely the time for comfort foods, though. Luckily, there are LOTS of thick, rich, nutritious, delicious soups that fit the bill - WITHOUT lots of calories.

One of the favorites in my house - mexican black bean soup. Hot, spicy, thick and rich - and loaded with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals!

Try my recipe:

http://www.naturallyradiant.info/site/black-bean-soup/257

[dragondancer1814]

10:41 AM on 11/10/2011

You'd love my husband's homemade vegetable beef soup. It's made with diced stew beef, spices, store-bought turnips, and the rest of the vegetables (corn, carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, green beans, onions, celery, peas, and potatoes) come from our vegetable garden. Throw in a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches made on wheat bread, and you've got a delicious hot meal!

Ditto our chicken noodle soup. When we roast a chicken, we save the meat and the homemade stock in the freezer, and add spices, carrots, corn, peas, onions, celery, and Amish egg noodles to the broth made from the stock. Simple, but oh so satisfying!

I'm a former competitive swimmer living in a "landlubber" county with no year-round public pools and a 12-mile drive to the public pools in the summer, so my exercise is limited to walking and using the Total Gym I got for my birthday last spring. Unfortunately, walking doesn't do squat for me in terms of weight loss-compared to swimming, it's definitely not a good substitute! Here's hoping that the county wakes up and recognizes the need for better aquatic facilities soon!