Phoenixbln’s BodyBlog

When winter comes and sunlight becomes less and less, sometimes your motivation can also fade along with it. You want to get into the gym and even though the desire is there - getting your feet to move in the direction of the gym can be a hard step. Even people with home gyms may begin to see more dust than sweat on their equipment. It could be a result of Seasonal affective disorder.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, repeatedly, year after year. Some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can range from mild to severe, they usually clear up. Women are more prone to be affected by SAD than men.

Some way of counteracting SAD is Negative air ionization, which involves the release of charged particles into the sleep environment, has also been found effective with a 47.9% improvement. Unfortunately, such a machine is not necessarily cheap.  Bright light treatment is common although up to 69% of patients find it inconvenient and as many as 19% of patients stop use because of this. A specially designed lamp, many times brighter than normal indoor lighting, is placed near the sufferer, and has proven to be effective at doses of 2500 - 10,000 lux. Most treatments use 30-60 minute treatments, however this varies depending on the situation. Of course, one of the most effect treatments, is getting to the gym. Adding more cardio to your routines and also enjoying 15-20 minutes in a sauna.

Whichever way you choose to fight again SAD, what is most important is to realize that you are not lazy and you are not alone. It may take a little bit more effort during the winter months but your progress and motivation does not have to disappear, even when it is cold and dark outside.

So this year I turned 33. Actually, last week I turned 33 and took a trip to Holland. Of course, aftr totally letting go, I came back to Berlin not feeling as great as when I left. Of course, I gained weight while I was there and was not really paying attention to what I was eating, after all, it is a vacation.

My first couple of days back in Berlin were rather hard. I had an amazing amount of guilt sitting on my back (well, actually around my stomach). It reminded me of so many times when I began this body battle and gave up but something was different this time. When I came home and reflected and tried to put myself back in the exact moment when I was stuffing huge amount of delicious pastries into my body, I really was not enjoying it. I realised that it did not release those endorphins the same as they once used to.

Eventually, after two days of being filled with waffles, small "rose" cupcakes, and fruit tarts (the fruit was questiionable), I politely told my host that I could not continue to eat these things even though they are delicious. He was not offended and actually, was very supportive. Yes, I gained some weight and have already lost but in the end, I learned several things:

1. Forgive myself when I fail. Reflect, correct and move forward.

2. Just because it is on the table does not mean that it needs to be in the mouth. There is always a nice way to refuse things. People have more understanding than we are willing to accept.

3. Listen to your body and compare. How do I feel when I am eating healthy and how do I feel when I eat too much of something that I have given up. For example: when I eat something with too much fat (not good fat but bad fat), I immediately get unmotivated, lethargic and depressed. The body is a combination of the physical and the mental and it is not limited to food.

Ok. So maybe when you go to visit your mother it will be impossible to resist that second or third piece of banana cream pie. Mothers sort of have that effect on people. But think about why you have goals and why are they important.