EVER WONDERED WHY IN WINTER YOU LOSE YOUR MOTIVATION TO EXERCISE?
Seasonal Affective Disorder (or S.A.D) comes under the umbrella of depression. The seasonal bouts of depression occur at the start of Autumn/winter and ends during spring/summer.
Lucky for us here in Australia, we are less likely to suffer from S.A.D then our northern hemisphere counterparts.
People with S.A.D depression can experience a lack of energy, fatigue and often sleep more. They can also crave carbohydrates, overeat, feel hopelessness, be antisocial, and weight gain.
Whilst its hard in the short cold days to get outside and exercise, exercising in your home can help with the “winter blues”.
Exercise can help with symptoms of S.A.D by increasing the number of endorphins flowing through your body. This can lift your mood and boost your physical wellbeing.
There is a bunch of research on the positive benefits of exercise and mental health. Exercise increases the bodies levels of serotonin, improving mood, sleep, libido, and appetite.
30 minutes of exercise a day is the smallest amount recommended. You can break this up by doing short 10mins sessions across the day. It doesn’t have to be a planned activity like a walk or run it could be either of the following:
- Dancing to two of your favourite songs around the house,
- Performing sit to stands (squats) during TV commercials,
- Marching on the spot while waiting for the kettle to boil, and even
- Walking laps of your hallway/driveway.
All these small amounts add to making big changes over time.
Resources:
Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/depression/types-of-depression
Black Dog Institute, https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
Galima, S. V., Vogel, S. R., & Kowalski, A. W. (2020). Seasonal Affective Disorder: Common
Questions and Answers. American Family Physician, 102(11), 668–672.
Lam. R, & Levitan. L. (2000) Pathophysiology of seasonal affective disorder: a review, Journal of Neuroscience, 25(5): 469–480.
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