February can be a challenging month for me. I find by this time of year, the cold and short days of winter start to get to me and my mood and capacity to find joy are impacted. While I am usually prepared for this, 2022 threw me a curve ball and I began to feel this way in January. My headspace is back to where I like it be now, thankfully, and I thought it would be a good idea to share some strategies for managing the winter blues.
Take a Break from the News
I feel like I have really increased my screen time over the last 2 years looking for distraction and some positivity. And while the usual cat video TikTok rabbit holes I seem to continually fall down do provide me joy, I have to sift through a lot of negativity to get to them sometimes. I think a break from the news is in order. Read a book, play some games, or listen to upbeat music. If you do want to know what is going on in the world, try out Positive News. Positive News is the magazine for good journalism about good things. When much of the media is full of doom and gloom, Positive News is the first media organization in the world that is dedicated to quality and independent reporting about what’s going right.
Move Your Body
I might be preaching to the choir, as you are reading an Eat2Run email, but it is important to get up and move your body. Exercise has been shown to relieve stress and increase general well-being. If possible, go for a mid-day walk outside to get a bit of sunlight and get the blood pumping. If you opt to exercise indoors, orient yourself towards a large window for a bit of natural light.
Establish a Good Sleep Hygiene Routine
Sleep is an essential component of our health and well-being. There are significant impacts on physical development, emotional regulation, cognitive performance, and quality of life when we don’t sleep well. Sleep is also an integral part of the recovery and adaptive process between training sessions. If we aren’t recovering well this can impact our mental health and well-being even more in a time when we are already struggling with the blues. I discuss strategies to achieve a better night of rest in my blog post Sleep and Athletic Performance.
Nourish Your Body
When we are not feeling great about the state of things, it can be really easy to grab highly processed foods to bring some comfort. While you may feel good in the short term, the high sugar and questionable ingredients may actually make you feel worse in the long run. Instead, focus on eating balanced whole food meals throughout the day. This helps to keep your blood sugar stable which can help maintain your mood and your ability to be active.
Balanced whole food meals include lean protein, complex whole-grain carbohydrates, and some good quality fats.
Choose good quality sources of protein like hemp hearts, quinoa, tofu or tempeh, grass-fed wild organic meats, poultry and fish, nuts and seeds, lentils, beans, eggs, full fat yogurt and cheese as well as rice, oats, buckwheat, and millet.
Eat your fruits and veggies. The more colorful your plate, the wider range of nutrition in your food and doesn’t a rainbow of colors make you happy?
Omega-3 fats from foods such as fish, flax seeds, walnuts, some eggs, and grass-fed beef have been shown to support brain function and reduce inflammation, which may help improve mood and support recovery from activity.
Stay hydrated and swap a coffee for green tea. As is the case with coffee, the caffeine in green tea can boost brain function, improve alertness, performance, memory, and focus. Another important component of green tea is L-theanine, an amino acid that can cross the blood-brain barrier and increase the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA, which helps reduce anxiety and makes you feel more relaxed. It’s also rich in polyphenols and antioxidants that could protect the brain from mental decline.
Seek Out the Sun
Getting outside needs to be a priority during the winter months. Give yourself every opportunity for daylight, such as placing exercise equipment or your work area near a window. Sunlight helps balance serotonin activity, increases melatonin production, balances your circadian rhythm, and increases vitamin D levels, which can lead to an improved emotional state.
If your access to sun and daylight is limited, you may want to try Light Therapy. This has been a game changer for me. I usually turn on my light box at my desk and keep it going while reading what activities my athletes were up to the day before. The National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) recommends sitting in front of a light therapy device first thing in the morning for 20 to 60 minutes. Click HERE for a great article from the University of British Columbia on how to choose a light device.
My biggest wish is that you are not affected by the winter blues but, if you are, I hope these few tips help to support you and bring you back to a place of happiness.
Enjoy the sun as much as you can and train happy!
Tanya R.H.N.
Sports Holistic Nutritionist
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Multisport Coach