A downturn in mood as the weather gets gloomy effects one in five of us. But rather than hiding under the duvet, getting up and going should lighten your mood.
In a country where the number of daylight hours drops to a measly eight come winter, it’s no surprise that so many of us are suffering from the Winter Blues. The lack of solar stimulus from long nights and the unpleasant weather can throw the rhythm of your body clock, lowering mood, stripping motivation and increasing tiredness.
But before you snooze your alarm for a longer stint in bed to feel better, consider renewing your exercise routine to banish the blues. Research from the University of Harvard medical school has found that regular aerobic exercise can significantly reduce your solemn symptoms and boost your mood for the months ahead.
Like its more serious cousin Seasonal Affective Disorder, the best way to prevent the weather getting you down is by upping your exposure to sunlight. But this isn’t always practical, especially when you spend the majority of sunlight hours indoors or the weather is unbearable. The researchers found that a short walk outside, followed by half an hour of strenuous exercise, alleviated symptoms in 70% of people – so a trip to the gym will do more than help your physical wellbeing.
The best method is to jumpstart your day with exercise, spurring your body into the serotonin release that the bad weather has dampened. Finding the motivation to set your alarm an hour early is tough but is twice as effective as evening exercise. But you might need an extra nudge. Using a dawn simulator – such as Lumie’s Bodyclock – replicates the light of a summer morning, readying your body for exercise long before you wake up.
It means that by the time you lace up your trainers your body is running like it’s been awake for hours, so getting to the gym is a breeze. Try 30 minutes of hard cardio or an intensive class first thing in the morning, such as Grid or Zuu, 3-5 times a week. Fuelled for the day with post-workout endorphins and a boosted mental state, maybe you won’t even notice the rain – maybe.