{"id":14677,"date":"2022-01-01T09:59:03","date_gmt":"2022-01-01T09:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/?p=14677"},"modified":"2023-01-09T07:23:33","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T07:23:33","slug":"https-www-personanutrition-com-blog-winter-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/https-www-personanutrition-com-blog-winter-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"6 energy-boosting tips to beat the winter blues"},"content":{"rendered":"Winter is here, and with it comes colder days, darker\u00a0mornings and even darker evenings.\u00a0If you find this seasonal shift makes you feel sad and sluggish, you\u2019re not alone.\u00a0The winter blues are a real thing.\u00a0\u00a0Sunlight triggers the release of serotonin, a feel-good chemical that keeps your brain up to speed and helps put you in a good mood. When the days get shorter, your serotonin production drops and you release more melatonin, a hormone linked to sleep.1 \u00a0This chemical change can leave you feeling\u00a0tired and more than a little\u00a0down.\u00a0So\u00a0what can you do? Here are some tips to help you beat the winter blues.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01)\u00a0Shake a leg\u00a0When you\u2019re feeling down, the last thing you may want to do is move. But movement and regular exercise can help relieve stress, improve mood and increase energy, so it\u2019s important to keep up your physical activity\u2014even in winter. There\u2019s no one-size-fits-all exercise routine, so focus on an activity that makes you feel good, and that you know you can maintain over time.\u00a0\u00a02)\u00a0Skip\u00a0the\u00a0junk food\u00a0Food is fuel for your body, and what you eat influences how you feel. Eat regular meals to keep your blood sugar stable and include a variety of foods: Whole grains and veggies, lean proteins, and healthy fats will help keep up your mood and energy. Limit intake of junk food and sugary snacks.\u00a03) Catch\u00a0those\u00a0Z\u2019s\u00a0Make your sleep schedule a priority. Sleep allows your mind and body to rest and restore.\u00a0Getting too little or too much\u00a0sleep\u00a0can amplify\u00a0your\u00a0irritability and\u00a0make it hard to\u00a0think and focus.\u00a0Try to get 7-9\u00a0hours\u00a0at the same time every night.\u00a0You may find you feel a lot better.\u00a04)\u00a0Get some fresh air\u00a0Try to go outside as often as you can, especially on brighter days.\u00a0Since\u00a0the winter blues\u00a0are\u00a0linked\u00a0to\u00a0a shortage of sunlight,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not surprising\u00a0that more light\u00a0can\u00a0help.\u00a0It may be cold, but it\u2019s worth it.\u00a0Bundle up, step outside and get some sunlight and fresh air.\u00a0You may find your energy\u00a0improves,\u00a0your stress is\u00a0reduced\u00a0and you start to get better sleep.\u00a0\u00a05)\u00a0Take\u00a0the right\u00a0vitamins\u00a0\u00a0If\u00a0you\u2019re not getting the vitamins and nutrients you need,\u00a0it\u00a0can affect your mood and energy.\u00a0Vitamin D, folic acid,\u00a0magnesium,\u00a0and others\u00a0are\u00a0linked to better emotional and mental health. Supplementing with vitamins\u00a0can\u00a0help fill nutrition gaps that\u00a0can be hard to fill with\u00a0food alone. Take Persona\u2019s\u00a05-minute assessment\u00a0to find a personalized program for you.\u00a06) Practice\u00a0self-care\u00a0\u00a0Take some time for yourself. Prioritize the things that make you feel good and keep you motivated. Meditate to help manage stress, find an activity that makes you laugh, and be intentional about surrounding yourself\u00a0with people\u00a0who support\u00a0you\u00a0and bring out\u00a0your best.\u00a0\u00a0About GabbyGabby is a nutritionist with a master\u2019s degree in strategic communications. She loves using her nutrition-fluency with storytelling to encourage positive change. Before Persona, she worked at a mental health clinic helping clients manage\u00a0stress,\u00a0anxiety,\u00a0and other mental health issues through diet.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Gabby is just one of Persona\u2019s team of qualified nutritionists. Do you have questions about nutrition?\u00a0Reach out. Our experts would love to help.\u00a0This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. Do not use the information from this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.\u00a0","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Winter is here, and with it comes colder days, darker\u00a0mornings and even darker evenings.\u00a0If you find this seasonal shift makes you feel sad and sluggish, you\u2019re not alone.\u00a0The winter blues are a real thing.\u00a0\u00a0 Sunlight triggers","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":14699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1815,1893,1897],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14677"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14677"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14767,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14677\/revisions\/14767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}