How to Beat Winter Fatigue

Ah, winter. The perfect time to pretend to be a fuzzy woodland creature and hibernate until the groundhog hopefully doesn’t see his shadow, right?

Image Credit: flickr GlacierNPS

With the extra-long hours of darkness, inviting fireplaces, and cozy blankets, it’s really hard to not just sleep the winter away. Winter is not a season I like to enjoy outside, with the frigid temperatures, howling winds, icy roads, and snow that just won’t stop coming down. So, as a result, I spend most of my time indoors, which lends itself pretty well to laziness and perpetual fatigue until the world starts to thaw.

Depending on where you live, it can seem like it’s dark pretty much all day long during the winter months. So when it’s already dark at five o’clock in the evening, after a long day of work or school, it’s pretty easy to want to just go home and sleep. Winter tricks our bodies into thinking the day is over and starts to make us feel sleepy, when really, we still have plenty of time to be productive. Sticking to your regular, year-round sleeping routine will help you keep your body on track. It’s important to have a somewhat routine  sleep schedule to not only keep you energized, but also to help your body fight off those cold and flu bugs that go around during the winter season.

When it’s cold outside, comfort food is usually the meal of choice. The warm, salty foods we choose to warm ourselves up are often not really the best foods to keep us energized. Heavy foods full of salt make us feel sluggish and lazy. With the holiday season behind us, it’s sometimes a hard transition from eating large, potluck style meals to eating just a single plate meal. Trying to eat healthy in the winter will help you feel like you have more energy to beat the winter blues. Try things like fruit, nuts, yogurt, lean meats, and whole grains. When you eat better, your body will will thank you by having more energy to enjoy winter.

It might be hard to get motivated to exercise when it’s freezing and dark most of the day, but keeping up your regular exercise is a great way to stay energized during the winter. Exercise releases endorphins which help to keep us happy and full of energy. If the roads are too icy to drive to your favorite gym or the temperatures are too unsafe to head outdoors for your regular run, still exercising at home will go a long way to boost your energy levels. Run on your treadmill, do yoga, or pop in those fitness DVDs. Staying active during the winter is key to helping yourself not feel tired all the time.

While winter may not be a favorite season for some of us, there is still plenty to enjoy about it. The views are often pretty great, and it’s a perfect time to socialize with friends and family over winter activities like ice skating and snowball fights. Keep yourself active to beat your winter fatigue and take part in all the wonder that winter has to offer!