As the weather turns cold (frigid) here in the mid-west and the darkness comes earlier I find myself leaning toward ‘hibernation mode’. More than one time today I thought that my ideal week would be one in which I didn’t have to put on ‘real’ clothes or go outside – AT ALL, opting instead to sit by the fire with a cup of tea and a book, surrounded by blankets and the sounds of lovely music. But, that’s just a nice daydream and I’m sure there would be something about that scenario that would be less than perfect.
It’s easy to want to hunker down when we enter the cold season but it’s not the best choice for our bodies – or our minds. I was doing a little research today and ran across this article in the Huffington Post listing 13 Mental Health Benefits Of Exercise (see link below) and I began to think about how a decrease in activity could (just my hypothesis here) contribute to or worsen some of the negative effects that winter has on our mental state.
So before you resign yourself to big sweaters and melancholy for the next five months consider these benefits of keeping a little movement in your day (refer to the article for additional insight).
- Reduce Stress
- Boost Happy Chemicals
- Improve Self-Confidence
- Enjoy the Great Outdoors
- Prevent Cognitive Decline
- Alleviate Anxiety
- Boost Brainpower
- Sharpen Memory
- Help Control Addiction
- Increase Relaxation
- Get More Done
- Tap Into Creativity
- Inspire Others
Don’t let winter get you down, stay motivated and …
Make Your Minutes Matter!