Winter is upon us: icy evenings and mornings, glorious sunny days, buffeted by icy winds. All 4 seasons in 1 day, for 4 months. We are lucky to live in a warm country; however, our homes and attitudes are built for our summer days and winter can eke both energy and vitality. This phenomenon is called the Winter blues. Winter Blues is a type of depression that occurs during the shortest, coldest, and darkest days of the year but dissipates come spring. Its causes are not completely understood, but it’s generally thought to be a biochemical result of lack of daylight. Here are some tips to give your body, mind and soul some much-needed TLC during the next few months.

1. EAT YOURSELF HAPPIER

We eat to keep warm, we eat for comfort and we eat for joy. Most of the time it is delicious, sugary, high-carbohydrate foods. Problem is we don’t go into hibernation nor are we running a marathon every weekend to burn off excess calories. Weight gain in winter is a major contributor to depression and all-round feelings of sadness. The easiest ways to remedy this is to reach for more natural snack foods such as nuts and soups. Try some delicious winter soup recipes today.

2. MOVE!

Exercise is a great way to boost your serotonin levels and keep you warm. You also get to burn off that hot chocolate and rusk habit that kicks in every winter. To get motivated, get a gym buddy or sign up and pay for a class. Most gyms have an impressive array for classes to suit most people. Just 30 minutes of vigorous exercise 3 times per week is effective against depression, says, Dr Andrew McCulloch, a former chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation.
Some trending workouts for 2018 include: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Body weight training and strength training. Read more about 2018 fitness trends here.

3. GET OUTSIDE

A lack of light makes people feel low, if you work in an office and tend to leave at dawn and get home at dusk, you could have SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Winter blues is not a myth, there us scientific evidence to support the idea that the seasons affect our mood. The cure? Get more sunlight, some natural Vitamin D. We are blessed to have year-long sunny days for the most part. Go for a walk on your lunch break and spend a considerable amount of your weekend outdoors. You should begin to feel better in a few days. For people with a busy schedule, we love these handy transdermal Vitamin D3 patches, which you can purchase online here or at health stores.

We hope these 3 strategies can help anyone beat the onset of Winter Blues and promote a healthier and more productive winter.