We All Hate The Winter Blues
Winter blues can be one of the most depressing things that we can deal with during those cold winter months. The days are shorter, the nights are longer and the temperature could be absolutely freezing. Even people that like the cold and activities outdoors like skiing can suffer from the winter blues. I myself am an avid skier and love the great outdoors such as skiing at a resort in Vermont. But I too can suffer from the winter blues throughout the rest of the season. My wife just texted me and said she desperately needs a relaxing vacation in a warm resort in the Caribbean. I couldn’t agree more!! But obviously life gets in the way sometimes. Whether its work, money or any other commitment that you may have taking a vacation may just not be feasible. So how can we get rid of those winter blues symptoms? Or at least make those blue feelings subside a little? I’ll tell you what I do for the winter blues syndrome which is absolutely proven to work!
Let’s Get Rid Of The Winter Blues!
Exercise is my #1 escape to help me get rid of those winter blues. The psychological benefits of exercise are endless and that is exactly what you need when you have the winter blues. A boost of energy and an increase in self-esteem alone will change your mindset. Regular exercise causes your body to release chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins react with receptors in your brain that trigger a positive feeling throughout your body. Some runners sometimes call it a “runners high.” I know after each and every workout that I do how good I truly feel. I am a big fan of working out in the morning and it directly affects my day in a positive light. I feel more optimistic, a sense of strong self-esteem and I’m ready to tackle the day. When I miss a workout I feel the exact opposite and my symptoms are multiplied in those winter months because of the winter blues. In addition, exercise helps reduce stress, decreases feelings of depression, helps cope with anxiety and is even proven to improve your quality of sleep. This is all medical science and not based on my own personal opinion. But remember exercise helps you physically as well. Your energy will be increased and will help defeat those winter blues feelings of wanting to sleep in all the time. It can improve your cardiovascular health, help lower both your blood pressure and cholesterol and even improve the way you look! Exercise is even used by many psychologists as a way to treat depression. The benefits of exercise are endless and in those cold winter months when many of us suffer from the winter blues there isn’t a better way to cope with it than getting some exercise.
My Great Winter Blues Exercise Tips
Winter Blues
So you are suffering from the winter blues and after reading this you are thinking about exercising. What should you do next? Don’t go out and buy some expensive piece of exercise equipment! This is not a smart decision to make. Going out for a walk 3-4 days a week for approximately 30 minutes will help you deal with the winter blues. Many local gyms offer group classes which is a great way to help you both have social interaction with other people and get a good workout in. But I understand some of us hate going out in the cold even if it means driving to the local gym. Or some of us don’t even have time to get to the gym because they have a 1000 other activities going on with their kids during the week. One other great solution to attack these winter blues is doing some of the popular home based workout programs. A company called Beachbody has programs like, P90X, Insanity, Les Mills Pump and so on. One program called 10 Minute Trainer is only 10 minutes a day! Everyone has 10 minutes! These at home programs are proven to truly work. You see their infomercials all over the television with millions of peoples’ success stories. Secondly, you don’t need to travel to a gym in the cold or waste time driving back and forth. If you have an area in front of your couch (probably where your coffee table is) you have enough room to get your workout in. Just move the coffee table over and you have your indoor gym! The vast majority of these programs require minimal equipment so the cost is relatively low. But as stated above another way to help deal with those winter blues is by having social interaction with people. Team Beachbody has a whole online community of support with people just like you who are also suffering from the winter blues. There are message boards and facebook pages so you can interact with others who are doing the same thing. But in the end it doesn’t matter what you do it’s simply about taking action. Not inaction. Exercise is proven to elevate you in so many different ways. Its times like this when people are going through the winter blues that they need a little spice in their life to help themselves feel better. Don’t let the winter blues control you. You need to control those winter blues!
How I Can Help You With The Your Winter Blues!
As a Fitness and Nutrition Coach I would love to help you get on some sort of exercise program and help you alleviate the winter blues. I routinely put together monthly fitness challenge groups by forming a small online group which provides motivation, nutritional advice and support. You pick the program of your choice and you let me do the rest as your Coach. Feel free to check out my Challenge groups or Email me so I can help you succeed. I don’t want those winter blues as much as you don’t want them so let’s work together towards success!!
