Now that the winter has officially settled in, so will the winter-time blues for a lot of people. It’s understandable: most can’t stand being cold to begin with, now add shorter, cloudy days and you’re guaranteed to have a lot of morose faces. Don’t let yourself become victim to the usual winter weariness this year, though. Here are a couple easy suggestions that can help you turn your winter outlook around.
This was one of my absolute favorite ideas (and it’s basically how I got myself through college slumps without even realizing it: set goals for yourself to help you look forward to the coming spring and sashay your way where, proactively. Rather than sitting around an wallowing in your cold weather blues, grab yourself a bright and cheerful 2014 calendar. Mark off in bright colors the change of the seasons, and then add a bunch of fun warmer weather activities that you’d like to participate in their after. Say for a weekend in May you’d like to head out to Montauk Point to walk the beach, or some weekend in June you’d love to take the family camping. Once you have your calendar full, then it’s time to set a daily goal for yourself to get you there: walking a mile a day, spending 45 minutes a day at the gym, doing laps at work on your lunch break, etc.
Why not give this winter stuff a chance?! One of the only ways to enjoy your winter, rather than dreading it, is by taking up a winter activity that you can look forward to. You never know what you’re going to love until you give it a chance. There’s snow-shoeing, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, sledding, snowboarding, ice skating, winter hiking, and so much more. Give a couple of activities a really try and see if it doesn’t help you have at least a minor change of heart.
This may sound insane, but it will help simulate sunlight: buy a timer and set up a couple of your lights to turn on a ½ hour before your alarm is set to go off. One of the main causes of the “winter blues” is difficulty waking up in the morning, even after a full nights rest. The lights turning on around you help to simulate artificial sunlight, and help to turn off your morning drowsiness.
Lastly, get in as much sun as possible, and as early as possible! When you’re up and moving in the morning, get those blinds open to let the light in. Better yet, throw your coat on and get out the door for a little before-work activity. The more sunlight you can actually absorb during this short-day season, the better your outlook.
Are you a culprit of utilizing alcohol once and a while to help you get a better night’s sleep (I know that I have been on occasion)? I found this an needed to share. If turns out that this naughty habit not only are you increasing your likelihood of alcohol dependency, but may also be robbing yourself of a good night’s rest. Though you’re falling asleep much faster, you may be disrupting the rest of your sleep cycle.
Although it assists in falling asleep much more quickly, alcohol actually prohibits and reduces the amount of REM sleep that an individual is getting in their sleep cycle. Usually REM sleep (or rapid eye movement sleep) happens within the first 90 minutes of falling asleep, and it is thought to be an important part of the restorative process. When you don’t have the adequate amount of REM sleep at night, it causes daytime drowsiness, poor concentration, and overall fatigue.
Using alcohol as a sleep aid is known to cause other sleeping-disrupting symptoms, such as sleep apnea (suppressing your breathing), sleep walking, sleep talking, and memory impairing. These symptoms cause you to have a restless second half of your sleep cycle, completely counter-acting your fast coming first half. Due to the addictive qualities of alcohol, it may actually cause you to feel as though you’re getting a better night’s rest, causing you to crave repeating the process. Hopefully you will find early on that this is a false craving, and you’re actually experiencing the negative effects of not getting enough restful-REM sleep.
If you are having difficulty sleeping, you should first speak with your physician. He or she will hopefully be able to rule out underlying sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, and help you find a better, healthier sleep assistance solution.
Okay, ladies, once and a while we need to talk about the less fun topics in life. One such unpleasantry is PMS. Those three simple letters not only make us cringe, and also tend to make our loved ones (especially our SOs) want to run and hide. There’s nothing enjoyable about the cramps and coursing hormones associated with premenstrual syndrome, but there are a couple simple ways that we can fight back.
Okay, this may sound contradictory (considering how many cravings you have during PMS), but try to keep you sugar intake to a minimum. It may calm that sweet tooth, but it can actually worsen the symptoms that are driving you nuts. Simple sugars increase inflammation, making those cramps feel even worse.
Cut down on your salt and caffeine consumption, as well. Salt makes you bloat by causing you to retain water…when you’re PMSing you’re already retaining water, so salt it making it even worse. Caffeine can make your more irritable and your breasts tenderer. Cutting it out makes you naturally feel that much better.
Make sure to rest up and de-stress. When you’re relaxed and refreshed, you’re more adequately prepared to deal with the waves of hormones that course through your body this time of the month. That way they won’t have quite so much power over your day.
Keep yourself moving and exercise. When you keep going, you fight the cramps and PMS day blues with the endorphin rush that you create.
Don’t be afraid to supplement. I know you likely try to stay away from pills as much as possible, but sometimes a supplement or two goes a long way to help. Calcium supplements help reduce many of your symptoms. Magnesium and B complex vitamins also help to relieve some of the hormonal effects, as well.
I know it sounds crazy (you know, because we're all intelligent adults) but this lovely winter weather made me feel the need to try to keep everyone safe. I know that we've had lots of snow in the past, but it never hurts to have safety tip reminders! (Just like the fire and bus drills we all went through hundreds of times as children.)
First off, remember to be safe even when you’re just walking!
-Make sure to leave yourself extra time so that you’re not in a rush. Rushing is one of the main causes behind snow/ice related slips and falls.
-Stick to designated walkways and sidewalks. It’s so much easier to take our usual shortcut across the grass, but remember that ice can easily be hidden below that fresh fallen snow. When it’s not being maintained, your usual path is likely treacherous this time of year!
-Wear proper foot attire, and bring your work/gym/etc. shoes along with you in a bag. I’m guilty of wearing my work shoes in the snow rather than changing them when I get inside, but that’s a fast way to slip and hurt myself! Be sure to wear snowshoes with a good grip.
-Make sure that you’re easily visible. Whether it’s whiteout conditions or getting dark out, make sure to wear a bright, colorful snow coat if possible so that you’re visible to all around you.
Then, if you need to be on them, be sure to be careful on the roads!
-Be sure to leave plenty of space between you and the vehicles around you. In the snow and ice it takes twice as long to carefully and properly come to a full stop. Give yourself the time and space needed. Also, accidents happen very quickly. This gives you time to maneuver carefully. Never make sudden changes in direction or speed.
-Remove all ice and snow from your vehicle before you even start moving. It may seem solid in place at the moment, but it can quickly become a hazard to your driving or the drivers behind you.
-Don’t use your cruise control, even if the roads seem clear enough. This even goes for in the rain: your car can’t tell when to stop accelerating (especially not mid-puddle or ice patch) and can cause your car to spin out. Maintain your own speed carefully.
-Take extra precaution when going over bridges, overpasses, and ramps. All tend to ice-up first, and unexpectedly.
-Stay off of the roads whenever possible. If your stop on the way home (or the reason you’re going out at all) can wait until tomorrow, then you should let it wait. Your safety is more important.
When you are always looking for ways to make your home and body green, sometimes it’s all of the little things that count. How about your facial and body products; many of us have already turned to organic and natural options to cut out a lot of the chemicals that are added to typical face and body washes and scrubs, but those natural products can really add up in price! Here are a couple examples of natural body and facial scrubs that you can enjoy and make at home for a third of the cost of their store-bought equivalents.
Make your own, very simple sugar scrub to exfoliate your skin this spring! Wash away the dead skin cells and moisturize the fresh cells underneath! Here is a quick and simple example for when you don’t feel like anything fancy!
All you need is ½ cup sugar and enough cold-pressed oil (olive, wheat germ, peanut, corn, or sunflower) to dampen the mixture.
Gently massage this exfoliating scrub everywhere to buff your skin clean. It is even safe for a facial exfoliant. Repeat the process, ideally, only once or twice monthly.
Looking for a refreshing, summery exfoliant that cools and calms as it also removes dead skin cells? Try this cool summertime tomato mask.
All you’ll need for this scrub is ¼ cup granulated sugar chopped fresh tomato, and 2 tablespoons yogurt or sour cream.
Place your sugar in a small bowl, and then add just enough chopped tomato to moisten the sugar granules. Lastly, mix in the yogurt or sour cream. Apply to a clean, dry face and gently massage into your skin. Allow the mixture to set on your face for at least 10 minutes afterwards. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
For one final sweet body treat we’ll utilize those ripening bananas that are left over and you know no one will get to. Bananas are naturally moisturizing and nutritional for your skin. Create a sweet body scrub with your extra bananas for a refreshing treat.
Take one ripe banana, 3 tbsp. of granulated sugar, and ¼ tsp. natural vanilla extract; mash the banana, sugar, and extract together leaving a mushy, lump texture. Don’t mash and mix too well or your consistency will become too watery. If you want a facial scrub, set a portion of the banana aside by itself; mashed banana works well as a moisturizing facial mask/wash. When ready for a shower, gently rub mixture over your body. Rinse off with warm water.
I don’t know about you, but I'm already feeling the burned of unwelcomed extra calories that come along with the holiday season. We get together with family and friends to celebrate, and what do we do? We eat! With so many goodies close at hand, it’s easy to throw your diet way off track and pack on extra holiday pounds. If you’re looking to keep your holidays on the slimmer side, here are a couple of helpful hints to think about during your celebrating!
-Save the majority of your calories for your main course! It’s so easy to go overboard with snacking when there are tons of hors d'oeuvres available. Focus on fruit and vegetable platters beforehand if your body tells you it’s time to indulge, but saving the majority of your calories for the actual meal (and a sensible dessert afterwards) will help you feel better and keep the calories at bay.
-“Don't let today’s mistakes be tomorrow’s excuses!” That’s my absolute favorite quote! Simply plan on having a splurge day for your holiday event or party: this will eliminate a lot of the guilt you may feel while “over indulging.” Just eat a normal, healthy breakfast and lunch beforehand, and then get right back on track the next day. If you limit your splurging to just your holiday events you should be able to stay on track.
-If you’re the one doing the holiday hosting (and cooking), make sure to cut corners wherever your recipes permit. Use low or non-fat substitutions. Healthy fats in the place of butter or sweeteners in the place of sugar. No one else will know, but you'll feel better for it! Also, it may sound crazy, but why not add a couple of dishes into the mix that you DON'T like! If you're not a fan of creamed onions or scalloped potatoes, now would be the perfect time to add them into the mix (as long as others do like them). You won't be tempted to over eat and you can always send leftovers home with your guests!
-If you're going to indulge, watch your drinking habits. It’s very easy to accidentally drink all of your calories away. If you want to keep your holiday lighter, skip out on a couple of the alcoholic beverages and seasonal treats (such as eggnog) when you know you're going to be eating a calorie dense meal, as well. Stick with your coffee, tea, and water instead.
LIFamilies
2014
December - 2013
November - 2013
October - 2013
September - 2013
August - 2013
July - 2013
