Beat the Winter Blues (Before They Begin)

For a while it seemed like winter would never come. Not that I’m complaining, but 60 degrees in January is certainly unusual. Now that it’s finally arrived, bringing with it freezing temperatures and cold winds, I no longer look forward to my morning walk to work. By the time I get out, it’s almost dark outside. All of this could easily lead me to come down with a case of the winter blues and to have an incessant need to hibernate inside the house eating comfort foods. There’s good news ahead though – you can resist these inclinations. Elevate your mood and maybe even lose a few pounds with these simple steps:

Choose foods that fuel you: We all know that processed foods are bad for us. They drain our energy, cause breakouts, indigestion and leave us wanting more. Start eating seasonal foods. In the winter time, focus on nutrient-dense vegetables, such as squash, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, sweet potatoes and beets. For fruits, upgrade your usual citrus-based snack to a blood orange for a much needed dose of vitamin C to prevent you from getting sick. Oatmeal with nut butter in the morning warms you up and keeps you full for hours. Boost your immune system with foods that heal, skip the packaged stuff, and your body will thank you.

Just say “om”: Yoga and meditation have been shown to improve our mood by releasing certain chemicals in the brain. If you don’t have access to a gym or yoga studio, you can find plenty of free instructional yoga videos on YouTube and all you need is a yoga mat. Find 20 minutes in your day to dedicate to this practice. Hopefully your cat doesn’t try to do yoga at the same time like mine does.

Brighten up your wardrobe: The majority of my clothes are black or grey. By adding a pop of color, such as this blush-colored blazer from Forever 21, my mood may not change instantly, but it at least gives me the appearance of being in a cheerful state. It’s hard to be sad when you’re wearing pink!

Janna Manjelievskaia lives in Philadelphia with her cat, Miso. She is currently in graduate school at Temple University. In her non-existent spare time, she watches Mad Men, Dexter and Sex and the City. Born in Russia, she likes to talk loudly on the phone to her mother. Visit her blog at http://myphiladelphiablog.blogspot.com.