September 8, 2014
Yesterday I took a walk on Fiscalini Ranch. It was a beautiful clear day and at one point I had to stop and admire a beautiful V formation of birds flying south. I had one of those inborn sensations we all have that the seasons are changing - leaves falling or changing colors, a chill in the air, and... shorter days. It's natural to wish the long sunny days of summer would continue forever. You can fight your circadian rhythms or you can use this time to your advantage. Winter blues don’t have to be inevitable. This is a great time to make changes.
To Everything There Is a Season... Go With It!
One thing I love about the changing seasons is variety, especially at the farmer's market. Spring brings us snap peas, peaches abound in summer, and in the fall it's time for squash, apples, and dark leafy greens among others.
Farmer’s markets are bursting with a new variety of produce, so make a resolution to try them all! These warming fruits and vegetables are incredibly healthy and surprisingly versatile. Try making a squash and apple soup, or roast up a variety of vegetables to put on top of a fresh salad.
Winter's chill
If you're like me, it easy to translate the colder nights into a feeling that catching a cold is right around the corner. Changes in the weather and shorter days affect our bodies which are used to functioning in a certain temperature, so as the seasons change it's forced to adapt. You can boost your immune system by getting plenty of rest, eating more fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C, making sure you're getting enough vitamin D (not just from supplements but from sunshine, too), taking a walk every day, and eating plenty of lean protein. There is scientific evidence that a natural diet and an active lifestyle boosts immune system health and helps to avoid the common cold, prevent the flu and more serious health conditions.
Kick the winter blues
It's four times more common in women than in men. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is also called winter depression, winter blues, or the hibernation reaction.
The incidence of seasonal affective disorder increases in people who are living farther away from the equator. In the United States it occurs in 1-10 percent of adults, and its prevalence is dependent on geographical location. SAD is less common where there is snow on the ground. The average age of people when they first develop this illness is 23. But people of all ages can develop seasonal affective disorder. Some typical symptoms of the disorder include significant and impairing fatigue, sleeping more hours per day than usual, weight gain of at least 5 percent, a pervasively sad mood, disinterest in activities, difficulty concentrating, guilt that affects self-esteem and additional symptoms also associated with depression. The good news is this condition is usually temporary.
I find there's one wonderful thing anyone can do to help shake this kind of seasonal depression. Can you guess what it is? Exercise! We have within us our own mood enhancer chemicals called endorphins. Any kind of aerobic exercise from running to arm cycling that can get your heart rate to 75 percent of maximum for 20 minutes will generally give you a nice endorphin rush.
Change a bad habit
Pick one thing that is not good for you and work on replacing it. Suppose potato chips are your weakness. Replace them with fresh or roasted carrots, or any of the veggie platters you can easily find at the supermarket. Commit to always having these snacks lying around. The idea is to take dead aim at one thing -- in this case potato chips -- not your whole diet.
Maybe you've looked at the scale lately and realize the extra glass of wine at social gatherings has been making a bigger you. Alcohol packs almost twice the amount of calories per gram than plain old sugar. So, have your glass of wine, but instead of a second one switch to sparkling cider. Trader Joe's even sells a line of sparkling lemonades that won't make you feel like you're going without.
It's all about establishing a pattern and repeating the behavior. I love ice cream and would eat it every day if I could, but I rarely eat it at all. Why? Because I never buy it. I've just gotten myself in the habit of bypassing it in the store. It works. If I get an urge for some ice cream it's hard to fulfill if there isn't any in the house.
Establish a pattern. Repeat it again and again until it becomes a habit. That's one way to make a change.
Shorter days and colder weather don't have to signal the time to slow down. Autumn is actually a great opportunity to get that additional energy boost whether it's from your diet, exercise or a change you've always been meaning to make.