How to Thrive over the Long Cold Winter

Winter begins tomorrow and we will not get a day with 10 hours or more of sunlight for the next 5 plus weeks.

This affects our wellbeing in multiple ways and we risk giving up some of the health gains we made during the rest of the year. 

We spend less time outdoors and in the sun, our mood and energy levels sink, and we tend to move less and gain weight.

In this post, I offer practical and creative guidance to maintain and even improve our health during this cold and dark time of the year.

But first a quick look at the problems…

Seasonal Health Risks

Here is a brief list of some of the ways our health might be negatively affected during the winter months.

1. Weight Gain - As I discussed in detail here, there is a seasonal component to fluctuations in weight.

Slight weight gain during the winter might not be too big a deal, especially, if we are maintaining a trend lower over a longer time frame, but if we are gaining 1-2 pounds annually, as is common in the US, winter weight gain accounts for more than all of it.

2. Sleep - We are rhythmic animals. Put your hand on your chest, feel your heart beating, and you know it’s true.

Sleep is rhythmic too and it is tied to the daily cycle of sunlight and darkness. 

Sleep disruptions can have profound negative effects on how we function from our energy levels to mood and irritability to our ability to concentrate and the quality of the decisions we make.

In the winter, our sleep often suffers as we get less natural sunlight or if we are having a mood disturbance.

Speaking of which…

3. Mood - Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that onsets during the colder months. Symptoms might include depressed emotions, low energy, insomnia or hypersomnia, and difficulties concentrating.

People can also get a minor case of SAD that affects their quality of life, but that is not fully diagnosable. This is called subclinical and it affects a lot of people. 

4. Vitamin D Deficiency. - Warm sunlight is a good source of vitamin D. During the winter months, we often get less than usual. Vitamin D deficiency is already common among adults in the US with an occurrence rate of over 40% and it becomes more common this time of year.

This can affect the health of our bones, the quality of our sleep, and our immune system and  our bodies’ ability to fight off everything from colds to COVID.

5. Losing Good Habits - The winter can be a time we become vulnerable to dropping good habits that we’ve adopted during the warmer months. Maybe we were walking most mornings or biking regularly, but then we stopped because of the cold weather, holiday schedule disruptions, or low energy.

Compounding good health is a continuous long-term endeavor and so we want to maintain good health habits year round and build on them when we can. 

6. Less Nature - Getting out in nature makes us feel better. It can decrease stress, lower anxiety, dissipate depression, and help us to connect to something greater than ourselves.

During the winter, we tend to get out into nature less, which may help set the stage for feeling bad.

How to Thrive Over the Winter

Here are a bunch of things you can do to counteract health setbacks that might arise during the winter months.

Find a few that resonate with you or collect ‘em all!

The 100 Day Mindset

The next 100 days or so will be the coldest of the year.

But this is a time limited phenomenon and it will end soon. So the first thing we can do is explicitly frame our situation as such. 

I think to myself (you can even write it down and leave it on your desk),

I can do anything for 100 days. I can stand on my head for 100 days. Soon, days will be getting longer again at an accelerating rate and then it will be springtime again.

Reframing can be powerful and this mantra is effective.

One Healthy Thing

I choose one health goal to work on over the winter. This is such a strong contrarian self-gamification play! While everybody else is gaining weight, I am gaining speed or back strength or working on how to prepare ribeyes in a cast iron skillet. 

This year, I am working on improving my mile time. This affects multiple components of healthspan from breathing efficiency to core and leg muscle strength to the capacity to withstand physical extremes. 

I developed a treadmill workout that helped improve my mile time from 7:23 to 6:58 over the last year and I want to get it down below 6:50 by April and 6:30 before winter 2024. 

This is difficult and fun and I get to tap into the 10 year old me that loves nothing more than running fast. Plus, I failed last year to reach my goal of a 6:30 mile and I’m back trying again and this year I’m getting it! 

Related…

Treadmills Are Underrated

Treadmills get a bad rap. 

Critics say that you don’t get the same workout as you do out on the road or trail or that it’s boring.

It’s true, you get a different workout, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. There’s even some advantages like being able to control pace and hill resistance more precisely.

You can get a great workout on a treadmill. Full stop.

As long as you get a good sweat and feel good afterwards, you’re fine. Remember, it’s only 100 days!

As for the boredom aspect - maybe it’s somewhat more mundane, but maybe it’s not so bad either. I listen to great music and podcasts and sometimes watch tv. 

One more thing here - this section is not just about treadmills. It goes for Pelotons and rowing machines as well. In general, indoor cardio is underrated, not overrated.

Get the Light Right

When you wake up in the morning, turn the lights up high and get it nice and bright. Try to keep this around the same time most mornings, even the weekends. (If you can, get outside for a bit in the morning and let the sun hit your face.)

In the evening, a couple hours before bed, turn the lights lower and get it good and dim. Try to keep this around the same time most nights, even the weekends. 

This will help keep your body rhythm tuned, contribute to better sleep, and help stave off negative mood.

Get More Vitamin D3 

As I discussed above, vitamin D supports our immune system and we don’t get enough of it, especially in the winter.

You can get more vitamin D by eating fish (like salmon, tuna, swordfish, and sardines), eggs, and fortified dairy.

I eat plenty of these foods and take a D3 supplement during the winter months. Seems like a no brainer to help avoid getting sick.

Watch the Weather & Get Some Nature

There will be beautiful sunny days during the winter.

Keep a close eye out for them and plan your time accordingly. 

Sun time is limited due to the shortened days and also the angle of the sun’s path across the sky. 10:30 to 2:30 becomes prime time for getting outside. If you do get out earlier in the morning, that’s great too.

When you see a window of good weather approaching, prioritize the heck out of it. Cancel or reschedule meetings, play hooky, get shit done the evening before. Whatever.

Then, get outside and walk, hike, or run like a freaking champion! Take your dog.

Put Your Phone in a Drawer at Night

The mobile device wreaks havoc on our sleep-wake cycle and can affect our mood too.  

You want to limit usage after 8 or 8:30 PM to avoid concentrated light directly to the brain.

Put your phone in a drawer at night and don’t take it out again until 30 minutes after you wake up in the morning.

This will improve sleep and mindfulness.

In fact, putting your phone in a drawer or turning it off would be my number one habit suggestion for 2024 and not just the winter. If you make it your One Healthy Thing described above, well, that would be a good one!

It is my hunch that over the coming years, we will find that mobile device addiction, including use at night, is much worse for our mental and physical health than even the most ardent digital minimalists currently claim.

Get the Right Clothes

There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

• Either Dave Nadig or an Old Norwegian Saying 

If you’re going to walk, run, hike, or bike outdoors during the cold months, go out and get yourself some proper attire. 

Quality hat, gloves, socks, footwear, and coat.

I hit REI, which has excellent merchandise and service. You can find someone there to assist you right.

Take care of this stuff. Keep it somewhere dedicated to you and put it away securely when the weather warms. 

Finish Eating Earlier

Finish eating for the day earlier than usual, say 7PM.

If you are already intermittent fasting, close your eating window earlier. So if you usually do a 12-8 eating window, make it 12-7 or 11-7. 

This will give you more time to digest before you go to bed, makes it easier to fall asleep, and will improve your sleep quality overall.

If you are not intermittent fasting and are interested in trying it, here is a post called Getting Started intermittent Fasting.

Remember the Basics

Last but not least, don’t forget the basics. 

1. Eat high protein, low carbs.

2. Move your body daily.

3. Practice strong sleep hygiene.

If you lean hard on the basics, you’ll be 85% of the way there.

If you have some tips I might have missed, please leave them in the comments below.

I help people get healthy, perform better, and make better decisions. You can find a list of services and schedule a no fee consultation here.