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Get Healthy Again now that Summer is Back!
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The winter time brings with it a lot of activities, but most involve sitting around indoors, eating, etc. Events such as holiday dinners, planning and preparing for gift giving, and family gatherings, with all of these going on it’s easy to get complacent when it comes to working out and staying healthy. It’s also normal to just have an overall drop in mood and happiness during the winter months, seasonal affective disorder is very real. Getting dark earlier and the weather outdoors being a lot less inviting is a big change. Some people will allow their healthy eating habits and diet to slip and sacrifice exercise for restful days on the couch. We can’t at all fault anyone for this, you just have to keep yourself accountable. Your lack of activity, compared to what you’re used to, can take a toll on your body. It can even cause a weakened immune system over time, as your body gets weaker.
Below you’ll find some great tips for staying and getting back in shape after a brutal winter.
Exercise and Diet
You may think illness is your biggest health risk during the winter season, but the highest risk factor to your health post-winter is a lack of attention to your exercise and diet routines. We often find ourselves so busy over the holidays crossing items off our checklists, buying and preparing gifts, finishing up with work tasks, and taking care of travel plans that we forget to keep our healthy habits in mind. The unpleasant and chilly weather can also make it very hard to actually get outside. In combination with this, we tend to spend more time indoors during winter and this could mean more snacking than we would usually do at other times during the year. This can make you pack on some extra pounds, which is the last thing anyone wants!
Slow Down
If you also find that you are more sluggish than normal, then it is advisable to go with it instead of trying to push through it. The body tends to take things slower during colder seasons and as the days become shorter and the nights longer, metabolism also slows down, leading to reduced energy levels meaning you may need a bit more rest. Take advantage of the cues your body is giving you as well as those of seasonal light, take advantage of this period to do some journaling, focus on meditation, or even going to sleep earlier so your body can get the rest and rebuilding it needs.
Manage Your Stress Levels
The holidays can be a great source of stress, as wonderful as they may be. You should take steps to counter this stress so you can enjoy yourself during the holidays and avoid the physical toll that stress can take on your body such as anxiety, mood changes, cardiovascular problems, or irregular sleep patterns. Take some time to yourself, make your schedule a bit more flexible to accommodate your needs, go for a run, or embrace mindfulness to help you deal with post-winter stress. As long as you listen to your body, you should make it out alright!
