Tips on Dealing with Darker Mornings and Evenings
Oh, these cold, dark days! Life inevitably becomes that little bit more trying during the cool, winter months. Our motivation levels and gym visits steadily decline and, for some of us, even come to a screeching halt. So, we look into a few simple changes to help ease the struggle of our chilly season.
Preparation
Preparation is key, it is a pain in the moment, but you will be oh-so grateful the next morning. Pre-plan, pack and lay everything out the night before; clothes, jewellery, lunch and all bags necessary. Then, pack what you can into the car the night before as well.
Get your family, partner and especially the kids, into this habit as well. During the day, use your lunch breaks and/or any spare time you can muster and use it productively; run errands, fill up your car etc. Don’t forget to adjust your geyser, if needed, if you are going to shower in the mornings.
There is nothing worse than starting the day off with a cold shower or no shower at all if you had been betting on one.
Stretch
Stretch or do some kind of yoga both before bed and when you wake. The benefits for stretching before bed includes deeper and improve quality of sleep and staying asleep due to the targeting of key areas (shoulders, neck, hands, and chest) where we hold tension.
We also use our legs for most of the day or find ourselves sitting in awkward positions for hours on end, stretching will release those tensions as well as help prevent injury and get in touch with your body.
Stretching in the morning increases blood flow and therefore the movement of oxygen through the body, which awakens the mind from which the body follows.
Sleep
Get enough sleep. A good night’s sleep is essential for energy and productivity, it also eliminates any excuses in the morning when you wake – knowing your body got a good 7-8 hours prevents any in the moment snoozing considerations.
Those few unbearable minutes right after your alarm goes off only lasts few minutes once you start moving and your blood starts moving through the body. Yes, you are still allowed to complain but we advise doing so once you have gotten out of bed and taken a few steps.
A routine with set times for going to bed and waking up, will also help your body adjust and make this dreadful process easier.
Breakfast
Last but not least, make sure there is something to look forward to, a good breakfast, and we don’t mean McDonalds on the way to work.
A good breakfast should be rich in protein, carbohydrates and vitamins. Think, Lattelicious’ Tick Tock Toast with cottage cheese, avo and lemon, olive oil dressing available at Nelson Mandela Square, or Sandton City’s Haloumi Poached Eggs from Doppio Zero.
These divine dishes are sure to start the day off on a good note!
Don’t let the winter woes get you down, just make a few tiny changes to help you keep on keeping on!
Read more on preparing for Winter HERE
