Blue Monday: How exercise and food can help with winter
As you know it was the saddest day of the year yesterday. The 3rd Monday of the month in January is the saddest day of the year known as blue Monday. Throughout January we attempt our new year’s resolutions on getting fit and healthy. At around this time it’s meant to be when you slack off and feel depressed and sad. This can come from not sticking to a resolution, you see the bill from Christmas or the weather is bad.
First of all you need to set yourself goals that are attainable and reachable. If you say I’m going to lose 20 pounds of weight by the end of January. Of course you’re going to feel blue Monday come along a lot sooner than the 3rd weeks. If you don’t achieve it.
Here are some things you can do to help you through the winter months without falling off the waggon or feeling blue Monday come along.
Start small and build up
If you haven’t exercised before you won’t be able to spring into a gym and lose those pounds. You will start to feel unmotivated by the end of the month when you haven’t made a dent. Start with the first pound and build from there. Once you get momentum going you will continue going in the right direction. You can do this by walking or just adding gone gym session a week into your week. Then build up from there.
Eat healthy foods more often but still have something that makes you happy
Throughout Christmas you would have indulged with chocolate and lots of sweet foods. Cut some of this out but not completely. If you cut it out completely you will feel like you are depriving yourself from it. Which is never good. Eat lots of vegetables and foods that are high in vitamins. they will make you feel a whole lot better about yourself. We need vitamins and minerals for a strong immune system. So, eat them.
Go on walks most days of the week to get outside
This is a big one. In the winter you will want to go straight home from work and sit on the sofa. You need to find the time to get some fresh air. This can be in the morning, in your lunch break or even just before you finish work. Getting outside and moving will help you feel less blue. with oxygen in your body and fresh blood the body will be able to regulate some functions better than if you just sat down all day.
Spend time in the sun as much as you can
The last one leads straight into this one. Sun light is minimal at the moment so you have to get out whilst you can. The sun light helps you release melatonin at night because it is synchronised by the solar clock through your eyes. So, make sure that your body know what time it is.
Stretch and mobilise
Stretching is a key aspect of staying in a positive mood all year round. We hold so much stress in the body especially around our hips and legs. So, it needs to be released occasionally. If you feel stressed at work because of a number of different things. a great way to release this pent up stress is to stretch the body in the evening time or morning time. Set aside some time to do some yoga or some relaxing stretches to release those tight areas.
Last note:
As a Windsor based training company, I do all of these through the winter and keep them going into the summer. I don’t tend to feel blue Monday. I love Monday’s even in the winter. It is the day when the world starts to wake up and I can make a difference to people’s lives.