Winter Blues

Living in Wisconsin I have realized how crappy and long the winter can be. For many like myself, we find the motivation to workout lingers! The official day of Spring is just around the corner but it sure doesn't seem like it! Today I realized we all have the power to overcome these winter blues! I will share some tips on how I continue to stay motivated!

Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

 Exercise

Sounds easy right?May be harder during these cold months to get our butts into the gym or leave our house. Exercising helps us be fit and healthy but it also improves our mood! I find that I am very wide awake and ready to attack my day when I workout. Those "feel good" chemicals linger after I work out helping me to stay focused while I work and keeps me uplifted through the long work day. 

Sleep

I always find myself wanting to sleep more during the winter rather than the summer months. I have found with shuffling my schedule and discipline, I can always hit my 8 hours per night and keep it consistent. I have found I have a significant amount of energy throughout the day! I will say taking a cat nap during the afternoon hours may be needed to get through the rest of the day but don't over sleep! this can make you more tired. 

Treat Yourself

During the week I maintain my healthy diet, and exercise. I make sure to plans something once a week that will keep me motivated! I continue to keep that treat in mind and it improves my mood and the anticipation increases. 

Healthy Diet

This seems like a no brainer but harder to put into action. The food you eat affects your energy levels and mood more importantly. I don't eat processed foods, or foods with high sugar. Instead I put some honey on top of my grapefruit or freeze my grapes to satisfy those sugar cravings. I also eat plenty of raw veggies, and drink plenty of water and tea to keep my full throughout the day. 

Sunlight

Today I was walking to the bus I noticed how amazing the sunlight felt on my skin. Vitamin D is essential to our mood improvement! People complain about being depressed and sometimes the lack of sunlight can be that factor. Try to take a brisk walk outside, open your shades, let that sunlight through! My  boss actually has a special light she has on her desk that mimics natural light and helps me get through my day sometimes. You can also take Vitamin D supplements. 

Visualize That Body!!

This may seem silly but athletes know what I am talking about. I used to visualize myself winning a swimming heat every time I would walk behind the blocks. This helped my nerves and keep my focused. When I am thinking about eating something unhealthy I visualize where I want to be around June and think about what I want my body to look like. I think about what I put into my body and I remember that this is all good for me. 

*Peace and Blessings*

Luciana Reichel