Winter is often considered as the bulking period in the world of fitness. For body-builders, it is the best season to gain muscle mass, while there are many others who end up gaining fat. The biggest hurdle in winter is to control your hunger, the cold climate leads to intake of excessive calories. Let's take a look a few easy guidelines and tips to stay fit and active in winter and avoid weight gain. Winter 2019 Workout: Easy Exercises to Do at Home for Fat Loss & Weight Loss (Watch Videos)

In winter, the cold breezy winds tend to make you feel lethargic and force you to lie on your bed for a long time under the blanket. The laziness is not only limited to avoiding exercise, but it is also one of the reasons which lead us to reach late at work. These problems can be resolved by eating proper foods, and doing a bit of light or moderate exercises.  How to Reduce Body Fat in 4 Mins; Beginner's Guide for Tabata Workout at Home.

Guidelines & Tips to Stay Fit in Winter 

1. In winter, try to avoid food which is very high on calories and contains unsaturated fats and less fibre. This can even lead to a digestion problem and, thereby, lead to weight gain.

2. Try sticking to green leafy vegetables and fresh seasonal fruit. Spinach, broccoli should be included in your meals, while winter fruits like strawberry, apple, orange should be eaten in raw form.

3. Salad should be part of your dinner or lunch and it should consist of carrot, radish, bell peppers, purple cabbage. These vegetables are rich in antioxidants which will make your immune strong and also help in the production of collagen in the body which is good for the skin.

4. Non-veg foods like mutton and chicken should mostly be eaten grilled, boiled or roasted with moderate spices. Avoid eating these in a deep-fried form which will reduce the nutritional value of these healthy foods.

5. Make a point to go to bed early and sleep for a good amount of time. Insufficient sleep also leads to weight gain as your body burns fat when at rest, the mechanism is known as resting metabolic rate.

6. In winter it is better that you workout in the morning and make yourself free for the rest of the day. Set an alarm and sleep with a positive mindset to do some good physical activity in the morning. The best way is to see a good motivating fitness video before sleeping. However, be sure to wear warm clothes before heading out of the home to avoid winter winds hitting your body. It is a good season to show off your stylish winter cap and hoodie at the same time prevent you from falling ill.

7. Warm-up before exercise plays a crucial role in winter. Warm-up exercises will prepare your body for the exercise, be it walking or jogging.

8. In the end, avoid tempting winter desserts, however, sweet stuff like Til ka laddoo made out of jaggery and sesame seed can be tried out in moderation, as they will help in keeping the body warm from within.

Be it winter, summer or monsoon, weight gain occurs if your intake has more calories than you burn, therefore, keep a track of what you eat. The other important thing is the mindset -  always strive to get fitter day by day. Exercise is the key to keeping your mind and body active and without any physical activity, you can't stay fit. Therefore, even if it is winter, there is no excuse to skip your walking, jogging session or your regular gym routine.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 14, 2019 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).