As described in my first blog, Valentine’s day, I had a fairly successful journey towards having better health last year. I made steady progress from spring until mid-fall. That’s when the days started getting shorter, darker and colder.
Come fall and winter, many of us living in the northern hemisphere struggle with keeping up with our healthy habits. Before last year (2018), I didn’t really understand when people told me they felt slightly down at the arrival of fall and winter. I wouldn’t have been able to distinguish whether it was a hot sunny summers day or a stormy snowy winters day. When you walk from your apartment to your car and then from your car to your office, the weather has a minimal impact on your life. All I would be able to tell you is that in winter it is more slippery and you have to take care on the roads.
At the end of winter 2018, I went from 0 to 100. I ran, biked or hit the gym depending on the day of the week. I had a strong routine and deserted “zombie mode”.
When fall showed up, I went from 100 to 0 in a matter of days. I slowly started having more trouble sleeping, going to bed and waking up later. I felt more exhausted and my eating habits changed. I slowly lost track of my regular schedule. I started craving foods that I hadn’t in months. Foods like my arch enemy, the bag of potato chips! With less sleep and more crappy food came the scarcity of energy and with the scarcity of energy, came the lack of regular exercise. And the vicious cycle began! I obviously gained some weight, I’m not telling you how much. It’s my little secret!
I now understand what people were talking about! I’ve done some research and took some notes so that I’m prepared for this when it shows up again
As Alfred Pennyworth said to Bruce: “Why do we fall, sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.”
Or, as Yoda said to Luke: “Pass on what you have learned. Strength. Mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is.”
I am not as wise as Yoda, but if there is one thing I can say, that might help some of you. It is to avoid big changes if at all possible when fall comes. In my case, I made two big changes that I think were big contributors.
- I changed my eating habits and went whole food plant based which basically means I no longer eat animal products. It was not good timing to do so!
- I changed my role and department in my job after 15 years of working in the same department. I would still have made the move even with what I know today, however, I think it had a major impact.
The second thing, which is somewhat related to making big changes. Try to ensure you have a strong routine established and plan accordingly for potential changes that may occur. For example, biking and running are not very practical choices where I live because of the snow and cold. Some still do it but I don’t enjoy it. So, this year, I will replace these sports with something else even though I plan to still run and bike indoors. I have a Tacx (for biking) and Stryd (for running) that I use with Zwift which has helped me keep at it indoors. It’s still not the same and it’s more of a challenge to keep at it consistently.
I am not exactly sure yet what I will do for the other activities, I know I need to plan ahead. I will probably find people to go cross country skiing or snowshoeing with. Or even join boxing or martial arts class. I think group activities will be key to keep me accountable and motivated. I’ve been wanting to get back in martial arts for a while now so we’ll see!
Everyone has their own unique experience and the important part is to learn from it, adapt and find solutions that best suit you!
It’s still unclear why we fall. According to webmd, it seems that the people who are affected by this have one thing in common; They’re particularly sensitive to light, or the lack of it.
I won’t go into details in this blog, since I am no scientist and even scientists who study this aren’t able to explain it 100%. But here are a few interesting links, if you want to read more on it. I plan on using a few of the tips for this year without a doubt!
- Visual Guide to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Major Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern (formerly called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD)
- Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — Symptoms
As I mentioned, I think everyone will need to find their own little tips and tricks. I’m curious to hear what yours are, so, please share!
360 of my 180 