Winterfunk 2014

Do you get the winter blues? I've been dealing with it for a few years and recently some friends have confided in me that they are feeling it too. I used to take a few different medications year round to deal with depression. Now I don't feel like medications are the best way for me to live so I try to find other avenues.
(If you suffer from depression you should talk to a professional qualified to help you with it instead of taking advice from random fitness pages online. These things may help you in addition to that, but get help from someone local and credentialed if you haven't already!) Summer has been easier but winter can still be tough here in beautiful Cascadia. Here are some things that seem to help me:

1) Supplemental vitamin D. In November I start taking 5000 IU a day of vitamin D. You need a lot in the Pacific Northwest because we don't get much sun in the winter. Vitamin D is good for all sorts of things including improved bone density. I take it in the morning with all my other vitamins and my fish oil. Taking with fat helps absorption.

2) It seemed silly at first but I love my HappyLight. I can certainly tell when I haven't used it on gloomy days. It's a full spectrum light. I don't think the brand is important as long as it's full spectrum. I'm sitting in front of it as I type this post.

3) Exercise definitely helps! (Surprised?) Lifting heavy weight has an even greater effect on winter blues than running or other steady state cardio but it may be the way I'm wired. Feeling better physically and looking leaner also seems to help my year round outlook.

4) Getting outside.  Getting dressed and braving the elements to do something outside seems to help! Sometimes it's tough to set foot out of the door. Once I get that far and actually get moving (whether I'm walking, running or hiking) everything gets easier and by the time I finish my walk/run/hike I feel good and winter isn't nearly as daunting for the rest of the day. This may be partially due to the effect of the endorphins from exercise.

Do you have any tips to help with winterfunk? Leave them in the comments below!

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