Have you ever felt that when fall and winter comes around your motivation for working out goes down as does your desire to make the healthy choices. This is partly because the days are shorter. “Once we hit the fall months, the days start getting shorter and as we move into winter, we have fewer opportunities to actually see the sun! It's fairly normal for your mood to decline during these shorter, usually colder days. It has become such a commonly studied phenomenon
- Irritability
- Tiredness or low energy
- Problems getting along with other people
- Hypersensitivity to rejection
- Heavy, "leaden" feeling in the arms or legs
- Oversleeping
- Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
- Weight gain 2
Another reason why this happens is the lack of sunlight leads to a change in dopamine levels which makes us more sluggish and lethargic. One way to combat SAD is by breaking down your long term goals into short term goals. Breaking them down makes them easier to achieve and more tangible. Having easier to achieve short term goals keeps your motivation up and keeps you focused. Another way to combat the winter blues is to get a friend to workout with you. This makes the workouts more fun knowing that you are doing it with someone you know. Getting a trainer can also help because they hold you accountable and track your goals. The last way to combat SAD is to try new workouts that keep exercising fun and upbeat. I know I get bored doing the same workouts over and over again so adding new exercises, or even new styles to training, helps me stay motivated..
Don’t let the winter months get you down use these tips to help combat the winter blues. Next week I am going to be talking about motivation and goals.
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