Fit Or Fat: Nutrition and Exercise
How Can I Beat The Winter Blues?Posting Date: 11/22/2000 Q: When winter comes around I tend to feel a little gloomy. I miss exercise sessions, I snack on fatty treats and in general I just feel blue. Do you know what causes this? How can I pull out of it? A: In the dark of winter people are different. People get depressed. We?ve put a fancy name on this feeling: Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. There?s nothing new about the symptoms of SAD, but we do know some probable causes and solutions. SAD can affect even people who have no other depression issues. People who are regularly happy-go-lucky get SAD. When it?s dark in the morning and dark early in the day your body?s natural circadian rhythms get disrupted. Ask anyone who works a graveyard shift for their job. It is not a normal human response to be awake in the dark. And as a result, people feel a little blue. We also know that serotonin, a chemical naturally produced in the body, is related to mood. It has been suggested that light may affect the production of serotonin causing depression during periods of low light ?- in other words ?- winter. Another opinion is that lack of exercise may cause seasonal depression. As you may know, it is difficult to stick to your exercise plan in winter. It?s hard to go to the gym or outside to exercise when it?s dark and cold. Miss that exercise session and you are missing a powerful mood enhancer. Exercise releases endorphins into the blood, which provide a sense of euphoria or a natural high. Often when we feel down for one reason we end up spiraling. We eat poorly, neglect our health and in turn feel even lower. Winter is a time when the earth goes to sleep; trees lose their leaves; bears go to sleep. Lots of natural things slow down. If you slow down maybe you are just one with nature. So, what is the cause for your winter gloom? Is it heat, light, companionship, nature, lack of exercise or poor diet? Without any proof, it is most likely a combination of all of these elements. Have the winter blues gotten you down? Here are some tips to help:
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