Don't Let the Winter Blues Hold You Back

If you find that February, to you, means an endless line of coffee cups and chocolate bars, then you may be surprised to find out that it's not just about a weakness of willpower for keeping your new year's resolution to lose weight. There is another rational explanation to your cravings for sugar and caffeine - lack of sunlight.

To remain healthy and happy, and beat those winter blues, you should try to get at least thirty minutes of sunlight every single day. The most important part of this time is making sure that the sunlight you receive gets to the back of your eyes for at least ten minutes of this time. This does not - of course - mean looking directly at the sun but instead means that you're looking at things with bright colors that are reflecting the sun's light. This includes anything around you that is not in shade - not hard to find as long as the sun is indeed shining.

However, when the sun isn't shining, there are other things that you can do to compensate for your lack of its mood enhancers aside from reaching for chocolate and coffee.

Increase the carbohydrate level in your diet by eating small amounts of carbs frequently throughout the day. Carbs include rice, pasta, and potatoes. For an extra healthy boost, eat brown rice and whole-wheat pasta.

Start your days with a protein-based meal that includes such foods as eggs, meat, peanut butter, nuts or cheese. Proteins provide you with slow-release, long-lasting energy. Don't forget to include fiber in your breakfast. This will help you to digest everything else that you've eaten to give yourself a much more consistent and steady energy supply. This means that your breakfast should also include fresh fruits, whole grains, fresh veggies or cereals.

Minimize the amount of saturated fats that you eat, as well as the protein that you eat throughout the rest of the day. Saturated fats don't provide any benefit, and will actually make you feel more sluggish - the exact opposite of what you're aiming to accomplish.

Try to exercise at least three times per week for a minimum of thirty minutes. Even a good brisk walk is all you need - it needn't be an all out gym membership. If you feel your breathing pick up and you're quite warm by the end of your half hour, then you've had enough exercise for the day to make it count. This exercise will have boosted your oxygen intake as well as the blood flow to circulate this oxygen throughout your body, bringing you mental alertness and motivation.

Instead of grabbing a coffee, tea or soda, drink water. It's great for you, and you should be drinking more of it anyway. It will also stop you from having energy jumps followed by enormous slumps. True, you can eat chocolate - but only a little bit, and just the dark chocolate. You'll want at least 70 percent cocoa in your chocolate and not a lot of it if you want to appease your sweet tooth and bring a smile to your face.

Think positively. Become aware of your thought patterns and work to weed out the negativity in what you're thinking. It's amazing the difference it makes.

And, above all, don't keep expecting your life to be perfect all the time. The bad times will happen - but they're what make the good times so special!