You guys!

The winter months in Canada are hard for me, I do not like being cold, it encourages me to sit on the coach with comfort food and a blanket and hibernate all season long. Winter’s in the past have been long months of depression, unmotivated and short dark days for me. It is usually the time I feel less than inclined to move my body, to enjoy time with others and eat lots of hot comfort food that makes me feel even more sluggish! HOWEVER, I have actively been trying to stay motivated and not fall into a seasonal slump this winter.

Here a few things I have been doing these past couple of weeks to keep my mood light and happy and keep myself motivated to take care of myself;

With the shorter days I feel like I get up and leave for work in the dark and come home in the dark. I could easily see that as depressing like I have in the past but instead this year I have been doing something a little different. Instead of getting up and fretting about the cold and the long drive to work I have been appreciating noticing the benefits. The sunrise, yes the sunrise that I usually miss in the summertime because the sun rises before I wake. This is such a simple mood changer, you know, the whole gratitude is attitude thing. This simple thing has become a beautiful surprise and something for me to look forward to on the drive to work; with the sun and pretty clouds brightening the white landscape.

Another thing I have been doing is preparing for my day, the night before. What I mean by this is I have been prepping my breakfast and lunch before bed, setting out my gym clothes being extra prepared. Let’s face it in the morning, I am stumbling around trying to wake up enough to drive, I don’t want to make my lunch or breakfast in the morning I need it ready for minimal effort and no stress first thing. So what does this look like? Well it looks like this, my nightly routine is to take out my glass containers and filling them with the food I want for my breakfast and lunch at the office and then putting everything on the shelf in the fridge in the same spot for an easy grab and go. Then I get out my travel mug for my morning tea. Yes, I get to that extreme with this because I want my morning to be relaxing, minimal effort and no spike in stress levels due to rushing around. Next I make sure I have everything in my bag packed that I need to leave in the morning., computer, agenda, purse and my lunch bag ready to put in my refrigerated items in.

This seems pretty basic stuff but I swear there are days that I do not do it and I am rushing and creating anxiety and stress first thing and that is not how I want to start my day.

I am not sure how you feel when you first wake up but for me to get out of my nice warm and very cozy bed to throw the covers off and be hit with what feels like a fresh arctic wind in your bedroom, makes getting up feel torturous. I get up early so I can be at work for 7:00am, a typical day starts at 5:00am for me. So if you are in the same boat as me here are my simple tips to help, again it is going to seem so simple your are going to be like: uhm well yea, duh!! Okay here it is, ensure that you have slippers or big warm sock to put your feet in at your bedside, and either a housecoat to put on or a comfy warm sweater. That tip alone has honestly made getting up so much easier and less dreadful this winter. I go to the bathroom, wash my face with hot water, go start the kettle for my tea and start the usual morning routine.

As I mentioned above I put out my workout clothes the night before so I see them right away when I wake up in the morning and through them on to do a quick 20 minutes of movement. This twenty minutes helps get me warmed up and releases those sweet sweet endorphins! Happy hormone! This is so simple that I just roll out my yoga mat and whatever I decide to do whether it just be some stretching, a quick yoga flow or a 20 minute HIIT workout it feels so good to get moving first thing.

Something else I prepare the night before is to ensure my phone is being charged and either have my headphones near or connect to a speaker. Then i load up some soothing meditation music and do at least ten minutes of meditation. This allows for me to actively be still and quiet before I get on the road and head to work for the day.

Another thing I do each week is try to plan a tea date with my friends so that I am getting out of my house and not just isolating myself. It helps to plan something for you to look forward to, and keep busy doing things that you enjoy.

This has been essential for doing what I need to do to feel good and stay motivated during the lack of sunshiny days.

Let me know what you do to keep your spirits high during this cold dark season?

xo

Kristy