Weekly Tips for Your Peak Fitness and Wellness

This Week's Tip: Beat Winter Blues Naturally

If you’re feeling down, it may be time to get out. Outside, that is. Going to work before sunrise and returning home after sunset means you’re likely getting a limited amount of natural sunlight. That reduced sun exposure can disrupt production of both melatonin, the hormone that regulates your body’s sleep-wake cycle, and serotonin, the feel-good hormone, which may bring on the wintertime depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 

Your best solution? Walk out the door. Literally. Instead of fiddling with fancy indoor lamps, the light therapy you receive from getting active outside just 30 minutes a day in the morning or before lunch not only gives you the sunlight you need to ward off the blues, but it also gives you a good dose of exercise, a known mood booster.