fall is coming

Bye bye summer and welcome fall. To me, the fall is magic. It’s that time of the year where I have more motivation, with my mind refreshed from the summer and my heart full of excitement about the holidays and ski season. It’s that time here where I want to make my biggest active commitments because honestly, there will be very little more to do over the coming months than to take care of my body. :)

So, I hope you can see this season with my eyes, too, because I am ready to scale the GfM mountain with you. I suggest you write down your goals, because between all the Halloween candies, the Thanksgiving meals, and the Christmas cookies, it is easy to get lost.   

Not only will the holidays make a change to our schedules, but something serious can happen to our bodies and minds over the fall. That’s why we need to stay tight with our active routines and keep caring about ourselves!

Exercise helps boost a sluggish metabolism

A consequence of seasonal changes that many people experience is increased weight. Like many other mammals, humans are known to store fat during the winter months. On a scientific level, this is due to the fact that, during the seasonal change between late summer and early fall, our bodies increase their insulin resistance. This causes our livers to increase fat production so that we can store fat in our tissues and be better prepared for the winter. The best way to combat fat build-up is through diet and exercise. Aerobic exercise, like swimming and running, is especially effective at stimulating the metabolism and burning calories. 

Shining a bright light on Seasonal Affective Disorder

Unfortunately, the changing of the seasons can have even more serious repercussions than dry skin and weight gain. For example, seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, can cause major depressive episodes, usually beginning in late fall or early winter. The journal Archives of General Psychiatry found that SAD causes individuals to secrete the hormone melatonin for longer periods during winter nights than during summer nights. This implies that SAD drives people to sleep more during the winter even when their bodies are fully rested. Similarly, the Journal of Psychosomatic Research published a study in which participants slept nearly three hours more each day in October than any other time of year. They linked the results of this study to the fact that hypersomnia, the medical term for excessive daytime sleepiness, sometimes occurs when the air starts to crisp up as it does in the fall. Depressive episodes and excessive amounts of sleep can severely impact one’s daily function and inhibit our ability to accomplish essential tasks. For this reason, it is important to remain attentive to changes in your general well-being during winter months.