As we are entering the first days of January, the holiday season finally ends and the sub-zero temperature begins to bite. Things will start become less fun and a bit harder. Waking each morning when it’s 30 degrees Fahrenheit or lower outside can really affect your mental conditions. The weather could conspire to keep you back at the office. So, you may need to do some lifestyle modifications to keep your mind and physical conditions on track.
- Be grateful: You need to practise gratitude and it’s a good habit to develop. Gratitude could come more naturally if you are being sincere about it. Today, so much information is coming at us through multiple mediums. Regardless of your mental situations, you should know that you have shelter, clothes, foods, electronic devices and healthcare programs. Unfortunately, things can be quite different if you live in an affluent area like Boston, London and New York. You could start to wallow in the puddles of self pity. In fact, during the winter, you can practise to feel more thankful in your lives. You should be able to appreciate your significance, regardless of how bad you are feeling about your situation.
- Drink more water: You may not perspire at all during the winter, unless you are sitting directly near a heater. Even if you feel cold most of the time, it’s important to drink enough water. Hot lemon water could warm your body and mind at the same time. If you want to drink it often during the day, use a little of sugar or honey for each glass to avoid flooding your system with simple glucose, which is a bad thing.
- Walk briskly in the morning: Many people don’t want to exercise during winter. If it’s not too snowy, windy or cold, you could wear thick clothing and walk briskly around the area. You may not sweat as much, but you can increase your core temperature. By regularly moving your body, you will feel less depressed. Spending much of your time on bed and couch won’t help your mental conditions.
- Exercise after lunchtime: Winter lunchtime is a good opportunity for exercising. In these areas, you will find clear blue skies and with slightly fewer tourists.
- Join winter sports events: Motivation can be gathered when you exercise with a large group of people. It’s true that motivation will be quite hard to come by, especially during the bleak midwinter. When you run with a huge throng of people, the cold weather suddenly becomes much more tolerable. These sports events are usually held and attended by people who consider running and staying active as a way of life. They know that the cold weather can’t prevent them from running.
- Go green: The greens should alkalize your body, as well as filling your system with enough minerals and vitamins. You can be flexible with your selections of greens. If kale smoothie tastes horrible, you can mix celery with apple or banana to make your greens more bearable. Spinach has neutral taste, so you can mix it with fruits to enhance the flavour.
