Do you ever feel sort of sluggish during the winter time?
Like most people, I often don’t feel like getting up at 7:00 to attend my early classes. However, sometimes when it’s freezing outside, it can feel like more than that. The lack of sunshine and the cold weather can take a toll on our bodies. If you feel like you have less energy and motivation when the temperature drops so low that you have to wear five layers to stay warm, then please stay tuned for a healthy, easy way to boost your mood.
We’ve all heard that exercise is recommended to help with energy levels; but have you ever considered that the food that you put into your body can affect them too? Here are some foods to help eliminate that winter slump right away:
Fruit
While we all love the gelato at Saga and the cupcakes at Casey’s, it’s also good to give fruit a try. According to the Mental Health Foundation, foods that contain lots of sugar cause a short surge of energy that wears off as quickly as it comes. Foods that contain natural sugar, like fruit, don’t do this and will satisfy your sweet tooth. If you feel like you cannot completely get rid of your nightly ice cream ritual, then consider swapping out half of the portion of ice cream for some yummy frozen fruit!
More Natural Foods in General
Here’s some food for thought (no pun intended). When eating processed foods, we are literally putting chemicals (like preservatives and added sugars) into our bodies, which is an inevitably disruptive and depleting thing to do. For example, drinking soda can actually be pretty draining after the large amount of sugar in it has worn off. Having water and juice are much cleaner alternatives. While it’s hard to avoid all processed foods, we can take baby steps by replacing one processed food with a side salad every day or by having foods that are less processed.
Vitamin D
It is pretty clear that the sun likes to hide during the winter time. A lot of us blame the missing sunshine for our low motivation during the winter. You may be thinking, “Why do we do that?” Well, we get a lot of our Vitamin D from the sun. Sergio Prostak from Sci-News suggests that Vitamin D has been linked to higher energy levels. Now, just to be clear, I am not suggesting that you take a supplement or make any drastic changes without consulting with your doctor. But you may want to think about having a piece of salmon, a glass of milk, or a bottle of the orange juice at Casey’s that has a little extra Vitamin D in it to elevate your mood.
Sure, winter can be kind of tiring. But just remember that being healthy doesn’t have to be a tiresome task that feels like part of the problem. Taking small steps in the right direction with what you eat can help you feel ready to embrace the cold in no time!