Skip to main content

Ways To Beat The Cold Weather Blues

4 min read

By Emily Lockhart

I’ll be honest, weaning daylight, wind, rain, snowing and blowing does not make “lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you” or anyone, for that matter. I’m not a skier, a snowboarder, a snow shower, or a snowmobile enthusiast, which means, come mid-November, I’m ready to go into full hibernation mode, and only bundling up in a parka and snow boots to leave the house when absolutely necessary. And I mean ABSOLUTELY necessary!

Employ these eight tips to beat the cold weather blues…

Stalking Sunshine

I know that sunshine is rare during the November to March timeframe. However, exercise psychologists at Columbia University, in New York, give us reason to take full advantage of what little daylight we do get.

So despite the beckoning of your couch, resist the urge in order to get outdoors, even during cold weather. While vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) brightens mood and soothes depression—research shows that even getting outside on gray days can thaw your autumn and winter blues.

Imbibing Too Much Holiday Cheer

Of course you need a spiked apple cider at Thanksgiving, a glass of rum eggnog at Christmas, and a few glasses of bubbly to ring in New Year’s Eve. But one innocent glass of nog can quickly become 2 or 3, or even 4. Suddenly you’ve binge drank the winter away.

A recent study from the University of Maryland found that binge drinking will leave you with more than a hangover. Excessive imbibing can weaken immunity and lead to frequent colds, flues, and other winter illnesses.

Get Adventurous

Sure colder weather may bring on the urge to nest—or get cozy inside with less active hobbies (i.e., knitting or watching movies). However, neurologists at North Carolina’s Wake Forest Baptist Health say resolving life to an indoor routine can quickly put you in a winter rut.

Instead, take this as your opportunity for adventure. If you can’t get outside, at least get outside of your routine with some new and exciting hobbies. Try a painting class, belly dancing, indoor volleyball, or hot yoga. Try a new cuisine, anything that will boost your sensory experience and prevent a negative frame of mind from setting in.

Healthier Comfort Foods

Hearty beef stew, chili, macaroni and cheese casserole, turkey—comfort foods go hand in the hand with the cold seasons. It’s like Thanksgiving opens the floodgates to a river of refined carbohydrates and desserts. However, all of that heavy eating leads to the inevitable blood sugar spike and crash.

In the end, you’re pants are unzipped and your sawing logs on the couch every night. I don’t have to tell you that a rich winter diet with little exercise can quickly lead to weight gain. Instead, do your part to make comfort foods healthier by using leaner meats, root veggies and whole-wheat rice and pasta, and reserving desert for special occasions only.

Liven Up with Exercise

Medical researchers at Boston’s Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, claim that getting physical is your best ally for beating the blah weather blues. In fact, exercise not only lessens stress and depression, it also provides a significant mental health boost.

Sticking with your daily runs or hot yoga classes even when the days turn dark and grey is worth the extra effort. I do this by planning out my 30-minutes of fitness a day on my electronic calendar. I even make a specific “winter blues” mix to cheer up my runs.

Rise and Shine

It’s natural to want to crawl back under the covers in November and sleep until spring. However, a 2014 study featured in the Sleep journal advises against sleeping the winter away.

The study recommends 7- to 8-hours each night—less sleep and more sleep can cause depression. In fact, research finds that sleeping in excess of 8-hours per session can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, and stroke.

The Social Network

It’s common to want to hibernate with nothing more than a fuzzy blanket, a warm cup of tea, your cat, and 10 seasons of your favorite television series during the colder months. However, social isolation can exacerbate anxiety and depression.

A 2013 study published by ScienceDirect.com found that the act of socialization makes us happier, more balanced individuals. The study recommends committing to group socializations or groups (i.e., team sports) as a way to remain active and ward off depression during fall and winter.

Turn Down the Sauna

You’ll inevitably have to crank up the thermostat a few notches come snowfall. However, creating sauna like temperatures with an artificial heat source can have negative consequences on your health.

According to research from WebMD, indoor heating that’s set too high will virtually zap moisture from the air and your skin, throat, eyes, and nasal passages, and leave you prone to colds, flu, and sinus infections. If you like it warm inside, use a humidifier to add moisture back into the environment.

Emily Lockhart

Contributor

Emily Lockhart is a certified yoga instructor and personal trainer. She believes that being healthy is a lifestyle choice, not a punishment or temporary fix to attain a desired fitness or body image goal. Anna helps her clients take responsibility for their own health and wellness through her classes and articles on ActiveBeat.

Diet and Nutrition News & Advice

Explore

Dietary Fibre Affects More Than Your Colon: How the Immune System, Brain and Overall Health Benefit Too
By Mark Wulczynski Diet and Nutrition News & Advice

Dietary Fibre Affects More Than Your Colon: How the Immune System, Brain and Overall Health Benefit Too

There’s no shortage of advice about what to eat, including hype about the latest superfoods that will help you live to 100, or about the newest restrictive diets that claim to help you lose weight and look beautiful. As a researcher from the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, I’m well aware that there is […]

Read More about Dietary Fibre Affects More Than Your Colon: How the Immune System, Brain and Overall Health Benefit Too

4 min read

What’s the Best Diet for Healthy Sleep? A Nutritional Epidemiologist Explains What Food Choices Will Help You Get More Restful Z’s
By Erica Jansen Diet and Nutrition News & Advice

What’s the Best Diet for Healthy Sleep? A Nutritional Epidemiologist Explains What Food Choices Will Help You Get More Restful Z’s

You probably already know that how you eat before bed affects your sleep. Maybe you’ve found yourself still lying awake at 2 a.m. after enjoying a cup of coffee with dessert. But did you know that your eating choices throughout the day may also affect your sleep at night? In fact, more and more evidence […]

Read More about What’s the Best Diet for Healthy Sleep? A Nutritional Epidemiologist Explains What Food Choices Will Help You Get More Restful Z’s

5 min read

Does an Apple a Day Really Keep the Doctor Away? A Nutritionist Explains the Science Behind ‘Functional’ Foods
By Janet Colson Diet and Nutrition News & Advice

Does an Apple a Day Really Keep the Doctor Away? A Nutritionist Explains the Science Behind ‘Functional’ Foods

We’ve all heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but how true is that? Apples are not high in vitamin A, nor are they beneficial for vision like carrots. They are not a great source of vitamin C and therefore don’t fight off colds as oranges do. However, apples contain various bioactive […]

Read More about Does an Apple a Day Really Keep the Doctor Away? A Nutritionist Explains the Science Behind ‘Functional’ Foods

6 min read