Latest News Local News Amy Stinnett's LiveOK- A candid look at living in Oklahoma.
Amy Stinnett's LiveOK- A candid look at living in Oklahoma.
Work Out the Winter Blues
It’s easy to become a hermit in the cold winter months. There are just too many excuses to stay home and read a book or watch television in your warmest, fuzziest socks. It’s too cold outside. It gets dark too early. I’m tired.
I know I tend to become much more lethargic and antisocial in the winter, preferring to stay in as soon as I get home from work than go to the gym or meet up with friends.
For some, winter brings on serious mood swings. Psychologists have dubbed this phenomenon “seasonal affective disorder.” According to the latest research, though, most everyone experiences increased depression-related symptoms this time of year.
In a Psychology Today article, Morton Hamartz, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, reports that people are more likely to feel anxious, irritable, depressed, and angry in winter than in summer.[i]
This particular article discusses research in the area of light therapy as it relates to the winter blahs. While increased exposure to light is proven to improve your mood, there are other ways to beat the blues and improve your health.
Get moving!
Simply by squeezing in 30 to 45 minutes of activity into your daily schedule you’ll experience improved mood. You don’t need a gym membership to do this. You can bundle up and walk or run around your neighborhood. You can find the fitness channels in your cable or digital package and work out at home. Numerous workouts can be found online or in magazines. The possibilities are endless. Just be sure to find something you enjoy and be flexible. If you get tired of yoga, move on to cycling. It’s most important just to get started and have fun!
I know that if you’re not having fun, you’re not going to stick with it. I just quit a six-week boot camp because it required me to wake up at 4:45 in the morning and drive 25 minutes to Midwest City. Yeah, not my thing.
Eat feel-good foods!
Now, when I say “feel-good foods” I’m sure images of macaroni and cheese, chocolate chips cookies, fried chicken, and other comfort foods float past your mind’s eye. While these foods may offer short-term relief from the stress of life, they don’t offer the long-term benefits other, more healthy foods do. One of these benefits includes an elevated mood.
The American Journal of Psychiatry published the “Association of Western and Traditional Diets with Depression and Anxiety in Women” article in January of last year, which demonstrated the correlation between diet and mental wellness in women.[ii] While men and women do not have identical responses to food, my assumption is that there would be similar patterns in the male population.
Regardless, the study found diets rich in “vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and whole grains were associated with lower odds for major depression,” while a diet filled with processed or fried food, refined grains, sugar, and beer contributed to increased depression and anxiety.
We all know how to eat healthier, it’s just a matter of choice. A quick meal from the nearest fast food restaurant can be mighty tempting, but it isn’t going to improve our health or make us feel any better about life.
We are role models for our children and change begins with us. Let’s keep our spirits up this winter by eating better and moving more!
