Three Ways to Fight Wintertime Blues

Winter is the coldest season of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere. The sky is covered with dark, gray clouds and there are less daylight hours which can make the days seem dreary. Some may experience a lack of motivation in their pursuit of health and wellness goals. Those same goals that encouraged you to sign-up for that new membership or start eating healthy can become monotonous and insignificant.  This is especially true if the goals you set were unrealistic and you expected to see more progress at this point.  So how can we pull ourselves out from the muck and mire, reevaluate our goals, and set our feet back on the ground towards a healthy lifestyle?  

Here are a few suggestions:

 (Warning: these will be upfront and honest J)

1.     Stop making excuses:People often lie to themselves and make excuses as to why they just can't do without something, but in reality it's just another lame excuse.  Choose three days you will commit to going to the gym or taking a class and do it! Choose to add something healthy to your diet like drinking more water which will help flush your liver and create a healthier system and do it!

2.    Celebrate lent even if you are not “religious.” Some great things to fast until Easter are alcohol, sodas, fried foods, alcohol, chocolate, fast food, and alcohol. Stop letting food and drinks have power over you!! You can do it!!

3.     Serve & Protect: You have one body.  If you choose to destroy it with years of unhealthy habits and a sedentary lifestyle, where are you going to live?  I hear comments like, “I am going to enjoy myself and die happy.”  Unfortunately, an unhealthy lifestyle can wreak such havoc that the “Golden Years” become a nightmare of medication overload followed by years of surgeries because of this attitude.  Choose to serve and protect your body by valuing how you take care of it now; stop waiting for “someday.”

Now get off that couch and make those goals a reality!