Take a deep breath. Winter is here. Or, as it’s often referred to in the Ayurvedic tradition, “Kapha Season”. Generally characterized by stillness, heaviness, coolness, and long, dark nights, Winter has the potential to seem a bit oppressive, and can leave those of us who are susceptible to its qualities feeling weighed down, stagnant, and uninspired.

But, if we are open to embracing the nurturing and supportive qualities of Kapha, we may find in Winter a gentle invitation to rest, reflect, hold space, envision, and withdraw some of our outward-focused energy, and redirect it inward.

Just as animals hibernate and trees turn dormant during the colder months, we can think of Winter as a time for cocooning. There is a reason pregnancy is characterized by increased qualities of Kapha as well; Winter herself is a kind of Mother, providing an incubator for us to be born anew when the world comes to life again in the Spring.

There is no better time to honour this pause than on this, the longest night of the year. As the earth slips into its Southern most point today, there is a momentary suspension between inhalation and exhalation, a clear turning point in the solar cycle. Today, we may give ourselves permission to reject the busyness of the season, to find stillness, and to show ourselves the grace of a Mother or Creator as we reflect upon the year we are leaving behind, and our intentions for the seasons ahead.

Although the light is already on its way back to us (starting now, the days are getting longer), those of us in the Northern Hemisphere still have a long way to go. If, like me, you’re someone who struggles with Winter’s cold, colourless, cloud-covered days, these few months can seem like a lifetime, and you may find it helpful to incorporate some of the following Ayurvedic practices into your daily routine to help counterbalance Kapha and restore some equilibrium:

Diet

Believe it or not, Winter is actually the season when our digestive fire is at its strongest. This is because our bodies require more fuel to keep warm and nourished. We will therefore crave more substantial meals this time of year, and many of us will find ourselves eating larger quantities of food, and maybe even put on a pound or two. This is not only okay; it’s actually necessary.

As with most Ayurvedic recommendations, adapting supportive dietary habits in the Winter will come quite naturally: consume plenty of warm, cooked foods with a healthy amount of oil/fat and warming spices like ginger, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, cinnamon, and clove (Chai latte, anyone?). Hearty root vegetables and cooked grains are well-digested this time of year, as are meat and eggs, if you choose to eat them. It’s best to avoid raw or frozen foods, as well as chilled drinks. You can increase heat and circulation while clearing the respiratory passages by drinking warm lemon water in the morning with cinnamon, ginger, and honey.

Lifestlye

It’s important to cultivate a light heart and a sharp sense of purpose during the Winter months in order to counter the seasonal tendency toward lethargy and loneliness. Invite warmth into your mind, body, and relationships, creating frequent opportunities for fun and laughter while at the same time leaving time for rest, reflection, and stillness.

Treat yourself to an oil massage followed by a warm shower in the morning, and then engage in some gentle exercise. If your dosha is more Vata-dominant, a slow, restorative exercise routine is ideal, such as walking or yoga. If, however, you’re feeling sluggish and heavy (someone who is more Kapha-dominant), you’ll want to give yourself a little push with a more vigorous workout.

Yoga & Breathwork

If you practice yoga, an invigorating and expansive routine can be very supportive during Winter. Sun Salutations, the Warriors, and forward and back bends such as Bow, Side Plank, and Supine Twists can all be helpful in stimulating metabolism and boosting energy and circulation. If you’re feeling stressed or depleted, move at a slow and gentle pace, incorporating a longer Savasana (Corpse Pose), but if Kapha is stronger and you’re feeling sluggish and unmotivated, try moving at a more intense pace.

If you practice Pranayama (breathwork), Skull-Shining Breath (alternating short, explosive exhales and slightly longer, passive inhales with focus on the lower belly), Bellows Breath (quick, forceful inhales and exhales through the nose), and Solar Breath (a variation of Alternative Nostril Breathing) will all help to increase Prana, and bring a sense of heat and lightness to the mind and body.

You are a few weeks into a new workout routine and you’re about to check in with the scale.

You’re feeling pretty pleased with yourself (and rightly so!); you’ve been hitting the gym consistently several times a week, lifting weights, getting your cardio in, and experiencing the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) that tells you you should be making progress. You’ve even reduced your calorie intake and been much stricter with your nutrition!

So, you are understandably perturbed to find that, when you step on the scale, you’ve not only not lost any weight; you may have even gained a pound or two! And now that you think about it, your clothes have been a little more snug, and you’ve also felt a bit puffy and bloated lately.

What is going on??? Conventional “health” and fitness doctrine tells you that eating less + moving more = weight-loss, and you’ve been doing everything right! It almost seems like the more strict you are with your diet and exercise, the less progress you make; if the traditional tenets of diet culture and calorie deficits are to be believed, this doesn’t track.

You might tell yourself you are just losing fat and replacing it with muscle (which is more dense gram-for-gram). And, if you had been on this workout regimen for a few months versus just a few weeks, this would be a very real possibility. Unfortunately, body re-composition (the process by which your body fat percentage decreases and your skeletal muscle increases) simply does not happen that quickly.

What is more likely happening is that your body is retaining water and experiencing inflammation, which are the fundamental processes by which tissue heals itself. If it occurs to you that you feel extra bloated after ab day, for instance, you are not imagining things; your body is mobilizing its lymphatic and fluid resources to your abdomen to help repair the muscle tissue that you’ve broken down during your workout (this does not happen to everyone; certain genetically-blessed individuals – and often men – may see the results of their ab work more immediately after training).

The important thing is that you do not get discouraged; your hard work is paying off, even if you aren’t seeing the results just yet. It takes time for the body to adapt and to release its excess fluid, and for your muscles to look more “toned”. Stick with it, and over time you will experience all of the benefits of a quality exercise routine, many of which (such as increased energy, a more efficient immune system, balanced hormones, etc.) go beyond aesthetics, even if that is your main motivator.

The other common reason your body might not be releasing weight is because you aren’t fueling it properly. Contrary to popular belief, by eating less (than you normally would) and moving more (than you normally do), you are sending signals to your body that tell it to conserve and store energy in the form of fat and calories.

Our bodies are remarkably intelligent and efficient survival machines. The only reason our species is still walking the earth after several millennia of famine, drought, migrations, climate fluctuation, and other hardships, is because our bodies are built to adapt to changes in our environment; evolutionarily speaking, when our bodies experience less food intake (energy input) and greater energy output in the form of movement, it can trigger biological processes that result in more efficient energy conservation in the form of fat storage.

So is there no hope? Is this all to say that eating less and moving more will only take us farther away from our goals, and we might as well not even try?

No.

We just have to make sure we are eating enough to fuel our workouts and to support the biological processes (such as hormonal and blood sugar balance, tissue repair, and detoxification) that need to take place if we want to lose weight in a healthy way.

What is “enough”?

The minimum recommended calorie intake will vary from person to person, and there are plenty of online calculators that can help you determine your basal metabolic rate (or, to put it simply, the number of calories you burn just by existing) and then factor in your activity level to give you your total estimated caloric burn.

The important thing is that you don’t go into too much of a deficit (if you know roughly how many calories you burn in a day, you probably don’t want to eat any less than a couple hundred calories below this) and that you are consuming a balance of the right nutrients to support your body’s processes, like high-quality protein, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and vitamins and minerals.  

A healthy rate of weight loss for most people is about 1-2 pounds per week (not per day), despite what you may have seen on some extreme and exploitive reality shows. Any more than this, and you run the risk of metabolic damage and consequent fat storage, or even more serious implications, like injuries. And for women in their childbearing years especially, there is a real risk with extreme dieting and/or overexercising of amenorrhea (or the loss of your menstrual cycle) and decreased bone density.

But without over-complicating things with math or fancy terms like “Basal Metabolic Rate”, there are plenty of ways to know, if you are in tune with your body, whether or not you are eating enough; physical hunger does not always present as a growling stomach. Some other indicators that are important to pay attention to, if you want to honor your hunger cues and support your body as much as possible, can include low energy, trouble concentrating, shakiness, or headaches. And God forbid you go a prolonged period of time without properly nourishing your body, you may experience more serious symptoms like chronic fatigue, joint pain or increased rate of injury, mood swings, insomnia, or blood sugar and/or hormone dis-regulation.

Many people are surprised by how much faster they reach their goals (and how much more they enjoy the process) when they give their body the support that it needs. Food is not something to be feared. Food is fuel.

And remember, you’ve got to fuel to flourish.

Now that the warm and sunny weather is officially here, you’re no doubt looking forward to more outdoor movement, or maybe doing work outside to get your yard and patio ready for Summer entertaining! Personally, I’ve been hitting the bike trails pretty hard already! Whatever outdoor activities you like to engage in, one important thing to consider is your electrolyte balance.

Why Are Electrolytes Important?

To put it simply, electrolytes are minerals that carry either a positive or negative charge, and are essential for conducting nerve and muscle impulses throughout the body. They also help to regulate fluid balance (which keeps us hydrated) and support brain, heart, and bone health.

Normally, blood electrolyte levels are closely regulated by the body to perform these essential functions. Sometimes, though, they can be thrown out of balance. This often happens as the result of illness, dehydration, intense exercise (especially if you are sweating), a poor or restrictive diet, kidney disease, or certain medications, particularly water pills or laxatives.

Because of the warmer temperatures and humidity, we are at a much greater risk of electrolyte imbalance if we are working or exercising outdoors in the Summer.

Symptoms of an Imbalance

When this happens, symptoms can range from mild (fatigue, headaches, digestive issues, muscle cramps and weakness) to very dangerous, such as irregular heartbeat, vomiting, convulsions, blood pressure changes, and numbness. It’s particularly important to keep an eye on the elderly this time of year, and watch for confusion, mood changes, or dizziness, which are also common signs of an electrolyte imbalance.

How do you know if you need electrolytes?

Because very high levels of electrolytes are just as dangerous as low levels (balance is really what you want to strive for), not everyone should supplement with electrolytes all the time. It’s important to know that many foods are rich sources of electrolytes (coconut water, celery, cucumber, watermelon, pineapple, citrus, and cultured dairy, to name a few), which makes it relatively easy to get what you need if you are eating a healthy, whole-foods diet.

Your doctor can also test for electrolyte levels if you suspect you might be deficient. 

You are at a much greater risk if you:

– Are an athlete, or enjoy frequent, intense exercise (particularly outdoors)

– Have been sick with symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea or a high fever

– Are on a Keto or very low-carbohydrate diet

– Suffer from kidney disease or damage

– Have experienced an eating disorder or otherwise do not consume a very nutrient-rich diet

– Are on medications such as antibiotics, diuretics, corticosteroids, or those for treating cancer, heart disease, or hormonal disorders

In most of these cases, it is safe to pick up a quality electrolyte supplement from your local health food store. You can also mix up your own Electrolyte Booster by combining:

– 1 quart of water (or coconut water, for an extra boost!)

– Fresh-squeezed juice from half a lemon or lime (you put the lime in the coconut and… well you know)

– 1-2 Tbsp raw honey or pure maple syrup (you can also use molasses or date molasses for added minerals)

– Pinch of Pink Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

If you do decide to go the supplement route, be sure to look for one without a lot of added sugar or artificial colours, sweeteners, or flavours. LMNT is a brand I like.