beauty

"An ode to winter fluff."

By Winona Dimeo-Ediger.

While buttoning my pants today I found to my dismay that my skinny jeans get skinnier with every passing day.

For the past few months, in fact, I’ve watched with shock and wonder as my stomach’s gotten softer and my thighs accrued more thunder. This winter’s been a doozy when it comes to winter fluff — those extra pounds of softness that the cold months conjure up.

At first this weight gain bothered me, because everybody knows a bigger number on the scale must be cause for stress and woe. But then I got to thinking about how this season’s been for me. And how my fabulously fluffy winter body came to be…

It started with the holidays, and tons of family time, laughing, eating cookies, making pasta, drinking wine. I skipped some yoga classes and missed out on jogging highs but I took walks with my mom and I made some awesome pies.

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Image: iStock

In January I sat and watched the lovely snowflakes fall, spent many evenings on the couch not doing anything at all.

Yes, I could have hit the gym, counted every calorie, but honestly, that didn’t feel quite natural to me.

Watch: This rendang curry will get you in the mood for winter. (Post continues after video.)

Instead I heard this message, delivered loud and clear: Now’s the time to rest, rejuvenate.

Eat sumptuous food, spend time at home, see what looking inward brings; sure, you might gain a few pounds but you’ll feel refreshed come spring.

I think about the bears who hibernate for months this season, they put on weight and never think to angst about the reason. Instead as they drift off to sleep, they feel grateful for their flab, not wasting a moment worrying about the status of their abs.

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So own your winter fluff and treat your body well, and put on a pair of stretchy pants that allow you to exhale. Winter fluff makes snuggles snugglier, and it keeps us nice and warm.

It’s cozy and it’s natural, and it doesn’t deserve scorn. (Check out these celebs who embrace their bodies. Post continues after gallery.)

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Come spring the sun will come back out and we’ll all go back outside, we’ll probably be more active and feel much more energised. The key here is to listen to what your body says to you: rest when it says “rest,” and do when it says “do.”

In spring you might shed your winter fluff, but even if it stays, love your body — and your fluff! — because you’re perfect in every way.

This story by Winona Dimeo-Ediger originally appeared on Ravishly, a feminist news+culture website. Follow us on Twitter & Facebook and check out these related stories:

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