As seasons change, you may notice a change in your eating and exercise habits. While some of these changes are positive, others can hurt your choices and lead to unwanted weight gain.

Summer

Summer is a season of fresh, nutritious foods, but a few things may work against your healthy intentions. Backyard barbecues can tempt you with high-calorie burgers, hot dogs, chips, and ice cream. Local fairs and festivals offer deep-fried foods and high-sugar desserts. It can be difficult to pass up these once-a-year treats.

Summer can also make it harder to stick to your workouts. Hot temperatures and humidity can leave you feeling lethargic and make it unsafe to exercise outside.

What to do: Be selective about the foods you eat. Choose only true treats, and take the time to savor them. Make a plan for workouts at home or consider a temporary gym membership so you don’t abandon your workouts due to a hot day.

Autumn

Autumn brings cooler temperatures ideal for outdoor activities such as hiking and biking. Unfortunately, it is also a busy time of year for families. As you adjust to the back-to-school season, you may feel overwhelmed with little time to be active. The extra stress can lead to emotional eating, little exercise, and poor nutrition.

What to do: Find healthy ways to control stress and make those activities a priority. Even 10 minutes of meditation or yoga each morning can set the tone for a healthier day. Get outside when you can. Being in nature is calming and relaxing, which also reduces stress.

Winter

When winter hits, you may find yourself craving high-carbohydrate comfort foods. With fewer fresh foods available, you may fall into a rut with food choices and be tempted by unhealthy comfort foods. As the weeks move into the holiday season, temptations for unhealthy food grow, and stress can increase emotional eating. Additionally, shorter days and cold temperatures make squeezing in your workouts more challenging.

What to do: Don’t let the holiday season sneak up on you. Make a plan and apply it as early as October. Choose when to stick to healthy eating and what is worth a splurge. Plan for a busy schedule and how you will adjust your workouts. Find ways to make your favorite comfort foods healthier by incorporating more vegetables and fewer heavy creams and sauces.

Spring

After three months of sticking to your New Year’s resolutions, it may be tempting to give up, especially if you don’t see the changes you expected. Heading into spring feeling discouraged may prevent you from taking advantage of outdoor workouts and seasonal fresh foods and cause you to return to old habits.

What to do: Reevaluate your resolutions. Check your progress, and if you aren’t where you want to be, determine if your goals are on track. Perhaps you are expecting too many changes too soon, or you are forcing yourself to do an activity you don’t enjoy. If your goals are no longer working, set new ones. Consider changing your exercise routine and eating plan to keep things interesting and exciting.

Lori Rice, M.S., is a nutritional scientist and author with a passion for healthy cooking, exercise physiology, and food photography.