6 Tips To Beat The Winter Blues

It’s here; it’s that time of year when we start to get sluggish, tired, moody and depressed, Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is the term it’s now given. The summer is officially over and what do we do – we eat, cover our bodies up in baggy clothes and spend a lot more of our time in front of the TV with the heating and start to feel low and depressed, it doesn't have to be that way.

Here are some top tips for beating those winter blues this year to keep you feeling fantastic all year round:

1. Get some exercise

When we exercise our body releases serotonin which is the happy hormone, if you’re new to exercise something as simple of getting outside for a brisk walk each day will make a huge difference. If you’re a regular gym user why not give an outdoor work out a go for a change – this time of year you’ll be picking up enough germs in your work place never mind having the influx of germs being spread around the gyms from people who are still a bit sick but can’t give up their daily workout! Do some exercise that will make you feel happy and like you’ve achieved something, if you find it hard to exercise alone find a workout buddy or a fitness group, not only will you feel happier and healthier you could meet some likeminded people within the group environments.

2. Clean up your diet

By eating a healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables you will increase your body’s ability to fight off infection. Dark fruits such as berries are packed with antioxidants and at lunch and dinner you try to include green leafy vegetables on your plate. Cut out sugar and processed foods and limit your alcohol intake, alcohol is a depressant so at this time of the year its best to limit your alcohol if you want to stay happy and healthy , the festive season is on its way you can enjoy a good drink then, I know I will :o).

3. Get out doors

Yup it’s a bit cold but that winter air is fantastic for waking up your body making you feel refreshed and invigorated, especially if the sun is shining - spend a bit of time with the sun shining on your face. This will help your body get some vitamin D which helps it absorb calcium to keep you healthy and your teeth and bones strong.

4. Take some time out to do the things you love

In today’s hectic lifestyle and current climate we very rarely get a chance to do the things we love, stress levels are high and depression even higher. Make a commitment to yourself to do things you enjoy, it could be painting, having a massage, getting a beauty treatment, ride a horse, go hill walking whatever it is you enjoy, take some time to do it.

5. Get to bed at 10pm

Getting a good night’s sleep can really help to improve our mood, turn off all electrical equipment in your bedroom, switch off your mobile phones as these can effect your sleeping patterns and spend about an hour winding down for bed – this means no TV, if something is on that you want to watch why not record it and watch it another time. Having good sleep patterns can also help to stop us from piling on the pounds because our body can carry out its job of repair and re-growth more efficiently.

6. Supplement your diet

Adding supplements to your diet can help your body to absorb the vitamins and minerals from your foods, add a good quality multivitamin I’ve found natures best to have a good quality multivitamin (www.naturesbest.co.uk) , fish oils have been linked to helping to improve depression so grab some good quality fish oils and add that to your diet www.alimentnutrition.co.uk have one of the best quality fish oils I have found. When our body’s can absorb the essential nutrients needed to function properly you will feel a massive improvement in your health and well being.

This year don’t accept that you will feel a bit low because of the dark mornings and nights – you can fight the winter blues and feel fantastic.