Feeling February
Hey guys!
So, there are a few Valentine’s Day traditions that Ryan and I have had for the past four years, and last night was no exception. They include gifts, a nice dinner, and me complaining about how UNattractive I feel due to the winter blahs.
For some reason, right around Valentine’s Day, I REALLY start feeling gross. I can always tell that I’ve gained a few pounds (hello, tight pants. Guess I’ll just be wearing my pj pants to the dinner table again), and I just feel all around gross. Obviously the awful weather that we’ve been having has only made this worse—I feel like I haven’t been outside in so long (other than our snowshoeing adventure on Saturday)! I just hate living somewhere where you feel stuck inside all the time—I’m a pretty outdoorsy person…but I also hate the cold! It puts me in a bad place, and in a bad frame of mind. I can’t WAIT for spring!
But, last night, I was thinking more about it, and I thought, “I do this EVERY year, and every year I find something to blame for my blahs other than myself.” I blame it on the bad weather, on stress, on winter in general, when the truth is, I make the decision to stay inside. I make the decision to watch two (three?!?) hours of television at night. I make the decision to eat when I’m bored but not hungry, and I make the decision to keep things like sugar in my diet.
I guess I had a little wakeup call: yes, winter sucks, but there are things that I can do to make it either more sucky or more tolerable, and from now on, I’d like to focus more on the latter.
In that spirit, this morning, instead of lounging around in my pjs for a few hours like I normally do, I hopped out of bed, got bundled up, and took Ella on a nice 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. Yes, it was cold, but it warmed up pretty quickly, and it felt so good to get moving right away and to just be outside. I can’t change my environment, but I can change the way I interact with it, and instead of hiding away indoors and pretending that winter isn’t here, I’d like to try to find ways to get out more. The walk with Ella this morning was a good start.
Plus, once I got back, I was all warmed up, so I decided to go ahead and get my workout in for the day. I had a great run on the treadmill, plus a 10 minute toning segment, all before 8:30!
I was feeling so energized, I knocked out the rest of my grading, started some loads of laundry, and mopped the floors—and I didn’t even have coffee this morning! I definitely believe that if you start the day off with a burst of energy and activity, that will carry on through the rest of the day…or at least the morning!
Anywho, after my busy morning, I was more than ready for some lunch by noon! My lunch was easy and delicious:
Ezekial wrap with laughing cow and tempeh (I’m loving this combo!), plus a few cherry tomatoes, along with an “immunity blend” of Green Giant frozen veggies (I like these!), and some carrot sticks.
When I finished up, I was still hungry, so I’m eating some Oikos as I type for dessert:
Well…we’re actually under ANOTHER winter weather advisory right now, and I think we’re supposed to get about 6 inches tonight and tomorrow. I’m looking out my window, and sure enough, the snow is falling…again! WILL IT EVER END?!?
Do you have the winter blahs as bad as I do right now? What do you do to fight them?
See ya for dinner!
OH!!! And, I wanted to say: if you have a blogger blog, I have been trying to leave comments, but have been having tons of trouble!!! None of the blogger blogs will let me leave a comment. 
So I guess, even if you don’t see my comments, know that I’m reading!
Hi I LOVE your blog! I love all your healthy and simple meals! I am trying to eat more vegetarian and find your blog to be such a great help! Question – what kind of tempeh do you eat? I am a fan of Laughing Cow, and would love to try the wrap that you just posted. Thanks! P.S. Your dogs are so cute! My husband and I have two ‘fur-babies’ as well.
Thank you!!! Thanks for commenting! The tempeh I have right now is Light Life 3 grain, but I’ve tried a few different kinds. Theirs isn’t pre-marinated, but there are some brands that are, and they’re pretty tasty!
We are getting 6 more today too! In fact, it has already started and looks nasty out. geeeez.
That’s good that you just went out anyway; I totally let the cold get me down. And I love how you just eat raw tempeh; I’m totally building up to that
I feel your pain, except my blahs start in January and don’t let up until the sun comes out in March. I find that just standing outside for 10 minutes on sunny days helps a little. Also, when I can’t run outside I try to jump rope inside. It’s a fun activity and gets me off my grumpy couch.
I’ve been having the winter blues for a while… I’m trying to stay positive… even though the snow is falling as I type this… Oh well… spring will be here soon
When I lived in the Midwest, I got the winter blahs all the time! If I moved back, I would consider getting a light box. Sitting under this light for about 15 minutes a day has shown to significantly decrease SAD (seasonal affective disorder) symptoms.
I’ve seen that! I’d love to give it a try. Tina from carrots ‘n cake was talking about it a while ago, and she said it made a big difference for her last winter.
I soooo get the winter blahs too. Good for you for taking charge though. It’s so easy to just get wrapped up in feeling bad that we forget that part of it is our own doing.
This is soo true! It’s easy to blame outside factors but in the end these are all things we can control!
I know it’s daunting to some (especially a california girl like me) but running outside in the cold isn’t that bad. I actually sort of like it. The roads are plowed so you don’t really have to worry about snow and as long as your dressed properly all is well. I’m taking a week off for my knees to feel better but I can’t wait to run outside again! (even if it is 15 degrees when I get out there!)
wow i really admire u girl, seriously.
wraps are great with tempeh…i saw KERF had a tempeh + pb sandwich on her site today
You are awesome…going outside in the cold is hard core! You rock!
I do have the winter blahs too! I need sunshine and fresh air. I completely agree with starting your day with a burst of energy. I work out at 6am on the weekdays and I feel so much more awake on those days. The weeks, while they are relaxing, they make me sleepy! I am trying to do more on the weekends to get the adrenaline going!
Your post describes how I feel exactly! I have major winter blues right now and am starting to feel pretty depressed. I think from now on I need to schedule a warm weather vacation in January or February!! Even a week away from the cold would make me feel tons better.
I’m sometimes feeling the winter blues too and always think that there should be snow in the mountains but not down here. I’m glad to hear that you decided to have a positive outlook on everything though. Running outside is something that I love – even in winter. It’s the darkness that annoys me the most!
I am actually having problems with wordpress blogs. I doubt this comment will go through!
Good for you for getting up and exercising! That always makes me feel better. I got a bad case of the blahs two years ago, so for the past two winters I have kept myself very busy with activities indoors and out. I try to do as many runs outside as I can. The fresh air makes me feel better
This post definitely gave me a kick in the pants about my own attitude recently! My mom has seasonal affective disorder and my dad thinks I’m getting it too, since I’ve been getting more and more depressed in the winter each year, but that’s no excuse not to go do something about it. Great idea to take a walk! And I’m with you on the sugar thing…this weekend was horrible for me, so I need to start fresh today!
Ugh I get the winter blahs terribly. I try to soak up every minute of rare sunshine that comes- even it means curling up next to a window haha. I also try to find other things that make me happy/give me energy (although easier said than done) like keeping up with workouts and reading a good book!
Great post! Well done for taking control of how you approach the winter blahs. Personally, spring can’t get here soon enough!