“You are probably S.A.D”
I haven’t been feeling myself lately and I don’t know why. I can’t seem to get motivated, I cry for no reason, lack energy no matter what I try, feel stressed out but I don’t have any reason to be stressed. I feel Blah, not able to get enough sleep and it takes everything in me to get out of bed. What is wrong with me? Do you feel like this? Well you are not alone. You are S.A.D!
At the beginning of each bootcamp I can usually feel the excitement in the air. It is filled with high energy and laughter. The new clients arrive nervous but excited about embarking on their fitness journeys. Returning clients get a kick out of reuniting with other bootcamp members. However, the first week of this bootcamp was weird. I was constantly asking people were they okay and the overwhelming responses were about the same. BLAH! The first outdoor run, clients usually arrive early with great enthusiasm and anticipation. This day, they were slowly dragging in, quiet, barely speaking and definitely not counting out loud. As I was screaming with excitement trying to rouse the crowd, nothing I did changed their mood. I knew at that point this was a S.A.D situation.
If you live in Georgia right now you can attest to the fact, that we are having an unusually warm Fall season. Although we are enjoying the warm weather, many of our circadian rhythms are off, among other things. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons. SAD begins and ends at about the same time every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in Fall and continue into the Winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.
Symptoms:
Symptoms may vary from person to person. They include fatigue, depression, hopelessness, social withdrawal, low energy, lack of concentration, insomnia, losing interest in activities you once enjoyed, changes in your appetite or weight and having frequent thoughts of death or suicide.
Treatment:
Don’t brush off that yearly feeling as a simply a case of the “winter blues” or a seasonal funk that you must tough out on your own. Takes steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year. Treatments can include light therapy (phototherapy) which can consist of purchasing simple lights to have in your home or at work or Psychotherapy, talking to a professional, there is nothing wrong with opening up.
How Tadda’s Fitness can help treat you:
- Sunlight affects the brain serotoninergic activity hence decrease in serotonin. Exercise has been proven to increase serotonin levels helping to put you in a happier mood. Join one of TFC fitness programs, we have something for all ages and fitness levels.
- Due to decreased daylight savings time, we are exposed to less Vitamin D from the sun which in turns causes vitamin D3 deficiency. SAD is prevalent when vitamin D stores are typically low. You can purchase a bottle of Vitamin D3 in our store or online.
- Low levels of Vitamin B12 are associated with depression. SAD can become more prominent in those with decreased levels of Vitamin B12. TFC offers 4 different variations on the Vitamin B12 shot, come get yours today and feel better tomorrow or if you are anything like me you will feel better in a matter of moments.
- Stress aggravates depression symptoms and exhausts your body. Following the TFC meal plan and being sure to include color, such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries may help decrease the release of cortisol, a hormone that releases during stressful situations. And limit your sugar intake, the crash after a sugar high can make you feel worse.
Between 4 and 6 percent of people in the US suffer from SAD. Another 10 to 20 percent experience a milder form of winter onset SAD. You can gain control of this mood changer, by moving a little more, getting out in the sun, consuming the right supplements and eating a little better. These are just some of the ways you can turn your frown upside down to a smile and go from SAD to GLAD. No Mess!
