Restorative Sun: Make Time this Week for a Stroll in the Sun

Photo by Scott McKay at pbase.com

The winter is a wonderful time to focus our energy inwards, develop our creativity through introspection, and to nourish our bodies with rest. It is also a time that can be highly stressful as the holidays overwhelm us with commitments towards family and friends. We often overindulge in food and drink during this time and skip our exercise routines. I have never been into the gym but I have always loved to walk everywhere. On a typical day, during warmer weather, I would walk at least an hour a day. Coupled with my almost daily yoga routine this was enough exercise to keep me fit. However, when winter approaches I succumb to a certain fatigue that I am unable to overcome...until now.

After some contemplation I realized that I was missing out on my daily walks. During daylight hours I was usually stuck at my desk at work, like most people, and when I finally left the office it was pitch black outside and I just wanted to get home quickly and hibernate. Well this winter I made a commitment to take a walk during my lunch hour. On most days the weather is nice enough to do this. It has really made a difference for me. I return to my desk rejuvenated and ready to take on the next task. Another activity I really enjoy in the winter is ice skating. In my family we have a tradition of going ice skating on Christmas day. This is a great way to burn off the previous evening's excess calories and it's so much fun. For many of us not getting enough exercise during the winter may be the cause of our fatigue and winter doldrums. We also tend not to get enough sun during this time of year causing most of us to have a deficiency of vitamin D (the sun is our principal source of vitamin D). This deficiency increases our risk of lung cancer, heart disease and a host of other illnesses according to a new study done by researchers at the University of California, San Diego which appears in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. So take a walk in the sun for your health this week.