Friday, January 7, 2011

Outrun The Winter Blues

From Runners World online

Lighten Up

How to outrun the blues during the season of plunging temps and zero motivation

By Jayme Otto

From the February 2011 issue of Runner's World

It may have started in early November, when clocks fell back, daylight diminished, and the snooze button began to beckon more than the roads. Or maybe during the season of nonstop parties, houseguests, and indigestion, which gave your routine a holiday hangover you're still struggling to shake. Even for normally cheerful runners, the winter blues are common when temperatures drop and you get less exposure to the sun. Although this gloomy state of mind is less severe than seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is a clinical mood disorder, it can still throw you—and your running—into a funk, says John Martinez, M.D., a San Diego-based sports-medicine physician and member of USA Triathlon's medical staff.

Fortunately, research shows that one of the best remedies is exercise. You can literally outrun seasonal blahs. But when you're feeling low, it's hard to get yourself psyched to do much of anything—let alone lace up. Here's how to find the motivation to hit the roads (or treadmill) and resist the urge to hibernate until spring.

Read on here.

No comments:

Post a Comment