Ever missed your alarm and got late for work? Did you feel like calling your boss and taking a leave?
Winter blues are real!
As the damp cold months kick off, your energy level sinks leaving you feeling lethargic and unwilling to do anything. With holiday stress taking over, it can be more challenging sometimes to drive away the gloominess and get into holiday preparations in full swing!
Ever wondered why that happens? Unfortunately, it is the less exposure to the sun during those shorter winter days and dipping temperatures that affect the circadian rhythm.
Your body develops a natural inclination to hibernate or take rest while tucking inside a cosy blanket.
While the drop in energy level is the main reason for the winter slump, the only thing to beat this is to boost energy in winter. But, don’t know how? Luckily, you have landed on the right page today.
If you feel the same winter blues and find it hard to keep going with your usual work and chores on those cold days, we have some natural solutions.
These simple yet highly effective ways will tell you how to increase energy levels in winter so you’ll be ready for everything, even the packed holiday calendar. Take a read!
Before, we jump straight into discussing how to revitalize energy during cold months, let’s briefly talk about the scientific and psychological reasons behind the dropping energy levels.
With days getting shorter, your time outdoors under the sun reduces. As a result, you are less exposed to the sun, which affects the circadian rhythm and subsequently, hormonal balance. Some research showed that it caused a greater release of the sleep hormone, called melatonin, which made people feel tired and sleepy.
Of course, less exposure to sun means less vitamin D in the body. As the body produces less vitamin D, it has tremendous impacts on the energy level and cognitive functions, which affect the mood.
Many people struggle to stay cheerful in the darker cold months. Sleep disturbances during the cold months are common too, if the blanket or room is not warm enough. And, added to this – the post-holiday blues! No wonder, all these factors together make it hard to keep the feelings of sadness or dullness away.
Winter fatigue is no joke. While most of us try to enliven our spirit and stay energetic, we fail dismally under the influence of harsh cold temperatures and longer nights.
However, if you are thinking it’s impossible to beat the ordeals of winter and maintain your energy levels, we have the answer. No, we are not talking about the continuous chugging of coffee or any hot beverages and sufficient rest to revive your energy levels.
Here, we will be explaining the most effective and thoughtful practices to elevate winter vitality.
Winter gloominess can leave you feeling hungry all the time. It is scientifically proven. The alternation in the circadian rhythms due to less exposure to the sun also leaves us hungry apart from being tired. It’s due to hormonal imbalances caused in the body.
Customize your meal plan to beat the winter fatigue, and must include breakfast. The first things you have in the morning will determine how you will feel the entire day. Have a wholesome breakfast comprising protein, fibre, and healthy fat to feel energetic and upbeat the whole day.
We suggest must-include items like eggs, vegetables, lentils or whole grains, peanut butter, Greek yoghurt, tofu, avocadoes, and nuts.
However, for all your meals, avoid foods that are rich in carbohydrates and sugar. Being hungry often, you will be tempted to have more of these. While they will enhance energy levels instantly, later, they will spike up the blood sugar level, making you feel tired and sluggish.
In other words, pick your foods wisely. For every meal, include more plant protein such as vegetables, beans, whole grains, and nuts. These will provide you with the necessary minerals and proteins aiding to restore energy levels in your body.
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IV therapy includes an infusion of essential nutrients into the body through IV drips. If you are looking for ways to increase energy levels in winter instantly, this therapy is our top recommendation.
Along with boosting your energy levels, it will also ensure overall wellness and winter glow. The best part of this therapy is that you can customize and get a tailor-made IV therapy according to your nutrition needs.
Unlike oral nutritional supplements, IV therapy gets directly into the bloodstream through veins. Hence, the formulas are directly absorbed by the body, resulting in immediate absorption of nutrients. Such quick action revitalizes your body within hours by replenishing it with essential nourishments and making you feel enthusiastic.
Taking IV therapy under the supervision of a medical expert is a must! An expert will recommend a suitable IV formula for eliminating winter fatigue, right according to your health needs.
While you are boosting energy in winter with IV therapy which amplifies nutrition levels in your body, it also results in other beneficial effects like immunity boost and skin-health improvement.
Shortened daylight and plummeting temperatures make it hard to get through the usual chores.
To beat the winter chill and ward off the lethargic mood, try to make a few alterations to your daily routine.
We know it is even hard to pull yourself out of the snug bed and blanket. That’s why new healthy lifestyle changes will work as wonderful motivation to start your everyday fresh in the cold season.
For instance, you can join a music or sports club. You will be pushed to go there to attend the practice sessions. Prepare a list of movies to watch every night. This way you can ease off the tiredness after the day and rejuvenate your mind.
Team activities like exercising together, running marathons, and playing by the beach are also effective at increasing your energy levels during the chilly season while motivating you to stay hale and hearty.
Other activities that will push you are journaling, reading books, camping, baking, and more playtime with kids or pets. You may also consider occasional eating of fast foods amidst your routine balanced diet.
It’s crucial to make these small to big changes in your lifestyle, during the cold season to keep up your mood, energy level, and well-being.
Exercising might be the first thing you avoid during winter. You would rather snuggle in your bed during the chilly season than do exercise.
Our advice – Don’t ever let that feeling make you more slothful.
To know how to increase energy levels in winter, get out of your bed first! When you have motivated yourself enough to jump out of bed, half of the blues will be gone. Following a fresh morning tea or coffee, warm up and prepare your body for exercise.
Doing a workout as the first thing in the morning will boost your energy levels and your mood! It’s because the body releases feel-good chemicals like endorphins. These leave you feeling excited, positive, and happy – that’s something we struggle to feel in winter.
For best results, try pulling yourself out to run in the park and do some free-hand workouts under the sun. In that way, you can get your energy revived while producing the essential Vitamin D in the body.
Working out in winter will also be less sweaty and won’t feel worn out. Typically, you should aim at doing physical activities for an hour daily to accentuate your energy level without getting exhausted.
Don’t ever miss getting kissed by the sun on the cold winter mornings or afternoons.
While you can catch the sun shining bright for a very short time during the day, kick yourself out during the short daylight hours for quick sun therapy.
The bright natural light pacifies the skin and soul, waking up every body cell. In the moment, it rejuvenates your energy level, restoring your normal circadian rhythm.
Thus, taking a walk under the sun every day on those cold days will leave you cheery and instantly combat winter fatigue.
Additionally, exposing yourself to sunlight will enrich Vitamin D in your body, which impacts mood and chases away sadness or winter slump. As we discussed earlier, the lack of sun exposure causes the brain to release more melatonin, also a sleep hormone, making you feel tired and sluggish.
If going out in the sun every day isn’t possible, make sure to throw open the window curtains or blinds to let in the light. As your room gets warmer, it will leave an energizing effect on you!
A significant population today suffers from a deficiency of vital minerals and vitamins that keep the cells in the body active. During winter, the energy level naturally drops due to alteration in the sleep-wake cycle.
In addition, the deficiency of basic minerals and vitamins further triggers the sluggish state of the body.
Thus, one of the assured ways to enhance winter energy levels is taking supplements as prescribed by your health expert. They aid in elevating your energy by supplying the prerequisite vitamins, minerals, and protein.
They treat all deficiencies in the body while boosting metabolism, reducing fatigue, and stimulating energy production.
Our top recommendations for health supplements to beat winter slump are:
Magnesium: It is involved in muscle function and the release of serotonin, the happy hormone. Having a magnesium supplement will wave off grumpiness or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), making your mood upbeat and happy during winter!
No matter how much you loathe or cherish winter, you will find yourself chugging down innumerable cups of hot beverages every day.
However, sipping up enough hot beverages is a must during winter to keep your body warm.
But, here’s our take on this – just having coffee or tea will not do. Instead, make sure you are gulping proper nutritious drinks like soups and homemade hot cocoa. Besides, consuming warm drinks is also necessary to ward off cold flu or sore throat, common during winter.
Hydrating your body with nutritive drinks will also raise energy in chilly weather, further helping you to beat the blues.
If you have no idea what healthy drinks will help you stay snug during those cold days, here are some of our top picks.
Try these flavourful beverages to keep you cosy and happy all winter long and thank us later!
While it would be hard to guzzle glasses of water during those extremely chilly days, still you need to drink water a lot.
Well, knowing several hydration hacks will help.
Since you don’t feel very thirsty during the winter, you forget to drink water often. Set a timer, reminding you to drink a glass of water every two hours. Keep your glass and water bottle nearby, so you don’t have to get up every time.
Also, you can sip up warm water instead of normal water to feel more comfy. Keep a hot water flask or thermos of appropriate capacity in handy to prevent water from getting cold.
Sleep and more sleep will avert fatigue or tiredness by providing you with enough rest. However, that’s only the case if you get sound sleep during those chilly nights.
While sleep irregularities and inability to get quality sleep are common in many, the problem triggers during winters because of changing temperatures. It becomes difficult to get the room, bed, pillow, and blankets – everything warm to make you feel snug and sleepy.
However, we know creating an atmosphere that keeps you cosy and lets you get quality sleep is challenging. That’s why try relaxation therapies and various tricks to keep your sleeping environment as comfy as possible.
Winter blues directly give way to stress and anxiety, especially for those who have to do a lot of physical activities or don’t get enough rest in a day.
We recommend you deal with that with effective stress management techniques.
While the stress level can reach much higher during those cold winter days due to the festive season kicking in, trying these natural techniques will help you cope with stress and develop mental resilience.
Revitalize your day by embracing the outdoors. You will also be left moving out more resulting in an increased level of physical activity and production of energy.
We understand it is quite tempting to stay indoors during the winters cuddling under the blankets. But, have you ever tried soaking in the sun and cold air under the clear blue sky? Venture out and get involved in mild to major outdoor activities to bring a refreshing change.
You can plan or take part in recreational activities like picnics, sports tournaments, camping, campfire cooking, and many more.
If there’s no scope to be involved in all these activities, you can just walk or do winter workouts outdoors in a park. Sulk in the freshness of the air and pleasant temperature anytime during the short daylight hours to realize winters aren’t that dreary!
Cold weather acts as a natural stimulation for the body and makes you work harder. Therefore, you burn more calories and achieve your fitness goals.
One of the most advised tips on how to increase energy levels in winter is to exercise more.
But, we would say, do only specific energy-boosting workouts that will elevate winter vitality and your mood to another level.
As winter creeps in, diversify your fitness program and include workouts to energise your body while motivating your mind. Do more pilates and yoga, which are mild exercise forms involving a lot of gentle movements such as stretching.
As a result, they promote mobility and flexibility of the muscles while boosting strength, which is more needed during winter.
Doing such workouts also significantly improves winter stamina, making you ready for the day no matter how challenging it looks.
Additionally, altering your workouts will break the monotony of your fitness schedule. You won’t feel unmotivated or languid to get up and do them, which happens most of the time in those cold months.
Therefore, this diversified workout program will result in an enhanced level of physical fitness and an intense feeling of accomplishment once you complete them.
You will never know what a power nap could do to your body until you have it.
Combating winter fatigue is a real challenge in that unpleasant cool weather. With days typically shorter leaving you with less daylight hours and temperature dropping at night, anyone can experience the feeling of fatigue.
While you get no break from work or household chores in that extreme weather, we suggest taking a short power nap will be effective. Those short invigorating power naps in between your day will offer a quick and much-needed energy boost.
A power nap typically takes place for 20 – 30 minutes is effective at combating midday weariness and gives you an instant energy boost.
We know it’s difficult to manage some time for power naps if you are working from the office. But, if you are working from home there are ample scopes to spare some time for short power naps.
Utilise your break time during the day wisely to manage some time for these powerful naps. They make your body enter a mild sleep stage, which quickly rejuvenates the body and mind, making you more alert.
We know winter makes you hungry and craving more for carb-rich or protein-rich foods.
You should be eating whenever you’re hungry, but mindful eating is the key to remaining fit and slim.
Firstly, tailor-make your meal plans by talking to a nutrition expert and have more plant-based proteins. Munch on healthy snacks in between your meals, like nuts and fruits but, make sure not to overeat.
Optimizing the portion size of every meal is also an indispensable part of mindful eating. During every meal, eat until your stomach feels satiated but not until the food finishes.
People don’t like to waste food and hence, tend to finish everything on the plate even if that means overeating. However, eating too much will result in post-meal tiredness or sleepiness.
So, a pro tip to practice mindful eating – Do not take all the items on your plate at once. Serve yourself one by one item in small portions and finish them.
Mindful eating with nutritional portions way you can keep away from eating excess and regretting it later as you feel too lazy to move or work. Additionally, you can also aid in your weight management and prevent yourself from getting fat.
While discussing ways how to increase energy levels in winter, we cannot ignore this!
Winter slump can make you feel too lethargic to move out of bed and cook a meal. While this is common and many won’t mind skipping a meal, never do that.
Not eating proper meals and keeping yourself tucked under the blanket all day long will further aggravate your feeling of drowsiness.
Food is a vital source of energy, so skipping meals will deprive you of the energy to get up and do all the usual activities of the day.
If you feel too tired to prepare meals, seek short-cut and healthier options like boiled veggies, oatmeal, vegetable soups, whole fruits, and sandwiches.
Also, keep some healthy snacks stacked in your kitchen closets and workstations, like unsalted nuts, oat cookies, low-fat granola bars or fresh fruits.
Kickstart your winter mornings by revitalizing your mood and spirit with warm healthy breakfast options.
The first thing you have in the morning will determine your mood for the day. The cold unpleasant days are itself a mood killer. So, why let the slump feeling further sink in by serving yourself boring breakfast options like smoothies or egg toast?
Instead, try out some exciting breakfast options to tantalise your taste buds early in the morning and charge up your mood.
Some unique breakfast options that will make the start of your wintry morning cosy on the table are:
These warm breakfast dishes will station both your body and soul, providing you with the necessary energy boost in the morning.
You can also augment cold-weather energy in your body with aromatherapy.
The extreme cold days in December can be brutal. The change in the sleep-wake cycle and less exposure to sunlight results in a sulking mood. To beat the winter blues, aromatherapy with essential oils turns out to be effective.
Research shows the fragrance dispersed from the essential oils stimulates the production of serotonin. This is a happy hormone, and it gradually uplifts the mood, making you feel upbeat and cheery.
Some essential oils that have a great immediate effect on the body and help improve emotions are Citrus bergamia, Sweet orange, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender.
The best way to use these essential oils for chasing away winter depression is through diffusion. Put just a few drops of the essential oil in the diffuser and see the magic spreading in your room, creating synergic effects and uplifting your mood.
The thought might irk you, but bathing in cold water is one of the underrated ways to raise energy in chilly weather.
According to many health experts, bathing in cold water gives you chills but leaves beneficial effects that ward off winter sulkiness.
It relieves muscle stiffness and enhances blood circulation, making your body feel warm while feeling rejuvenated. Along with improved circulation, the cold shower lets blood circulate and makes the arteries stronger while lowering blood pressure. All these leave you feeling fresh and energized, ready to kickstart the day.
Cold water soothes the mood by calming down depression or anxiety. Hence, if you are heavily bogged down by the winter blues, try taking a cold shower therapy. You will be upbeat and perky once you step out of the shower.
Lastly, you can easily recover from muscle soreness or cramps that many feel due to extremely cold temperatures. Muscles contract and release heat, which causes tightness in the whole body. All these lead to soreness or aches in the body, and a cold shower will relieve that straightaway.
We know a cosy blanket and a warm bed are just what you crave during those chilly days.
Dealing with winter vibes is overwhelming. No matter how harsh the weather gets, pull yourself out of bed and get on with your chores.
To keep your body and mind flexible and ready for challenges, we advise practising dynamic stretching exercises. It is much more effective than static stretching. Since you don’t hold yourself longer in the stretching position, it makes the muscle stretch more and enhances the range of motion. This enhances the blood flow, relaxes your body and leaves you revitalised.
Put full-body dynamic stretch in your winter routine. Regularity is a must if you want to acquire the desired flexibility in the body. Moreover, it leaves you feeling revitalised, letting go of all the sluggishness and making you ready to be productive for the day.
Well, this one has to be on the list of tips on how to increase energy levels in winter.
Sunbathing, typically, involves sitting or lying somewhere under the sun. While this activity brings an insane amount of relief in the chilly weather, it also helps in reducing winter gloominess.
As we mentioned earlier, exposure to sunlight causes the body to produce vitamin D, which has a tremendous effect on mood and energy levels.
Thereby, some minutes of sunbathing will leave you feeling relaxed and restore your energy level, which plummeted due to the cold temperature.
Healthy eating does the entire trick whether it’s about reaching your fitness goals or maintaining your energy level during winter.
We advise you to stay away from all types of junk or unhealthy fats. They can cause digestive problems and weight gain, further adding to your winter blues.
Therefore, eat healthy and eat right. Make your food choices for every meal of the day thoughtfully, ensuring the right portions. It will keep you energized and healthy while accomplishing your fitness goals.
Since healthy fats are perfect winter energy boosters, make sure your diet includes lots of them. Avocadoes, cheese, fatty fish, whole eggs, beans, chia seeds, and nuts – all these are our top picks, which include a sufficient amount of healthy fats.
Thus, make sure to curate your diet plan, especially for the winter and incorporate more of these items.
Coffee is a must-have for winter energy uplift.
We all know that, right? And you and everyone chug down cups and cups of coffee to beat the winter fatigue and sleepiness.
But, do you know that well-timed caffeine has a better effect and makes you alert than having it at any time?
Going to work? Have a critical presentation post-lunch? Want to be a part of a movie night? Sip up some caffeine just an hour before these vital activities.
Having caffeine at the right time will improve your cognitive functions and increase your level of concentration. It will leave your mind rejuvenated and geared up for the event.
How can we forget about warm clothes while talking about ways to enhance winter energy levels?
Woolen clothes including sweaters and hoodies keep up warm by trapping air in between and not letting the heat move out. Whether you are going out or staying indoors, putting on warm clothes keeps your body comfy and prevents sluggishness. You can move freely and do all the work while keeping yourself comfortable all the time.
While going out, take extra layers of clothing to beat the harsh temperature. That included puffed foam jackets or leather jackets, woollen caps, shocks, boots, and gloves.
Even if you are going to sleep, wear shocks! It may sound funny, but the trick works to beat the winter chills troubling your good night’s sleep. It keeps your feet warmer, keeping the entire body snug throughout the night.
Since less exposure to sunlight is a prime cause behind winter sulkiness, illuminate your place as much as possible.
As days get smaller depriving you of natural sunlight, the only way to keep your space lit up and cosier is using more lights or rather mimicking bulbs.
Dark indoors during the day causes a sense of gloominess, affecting the mood as well as energy levels! This is also the reason most workspaces are lit up with bright lights to avert the feeling of slump or lethargy in employees and make them productive.
Here’s a scientific explanation behind lights and elevated energy levels. Natural bright lights or simulated lights trigger the release of the happy hormone, serotonin. It’s a chemical or neurotransmitter that uplifts the mood and also helps in improving sleep patterns.
Thereby, by decking up your space with vibrant lighting and mimicking bulbs, you can cheer up yourself and improve the overall mental well-being of your family members.
If you are looking for some more indirect ways to increase energy levels on those cold days, practising mindfulness is a way.
Several health experts have ascertained that practising mindfulness every day has a profound impact on mental health and subsequently, energy levels.
During the harsh wintry days, our health can take a toll with body soreness and mental fatigue reaching its peak.
Practising mindfulness, such as meditating, listening to music, deep-breathing exercises, or journaling has the invincible power to calm the nerves and reduce stress.
While the winter holidays and related preparations can cause additional stress, mindfulness can keep you at peace. These practices will improve your mental clarity and attentiveness. Thus, you remain proactive and productive at work too.
When energy levels are too low due to the winter slump and you find it too challenging to get out of your bed, positive affirmations work!
It makes you feel motivated to get ahead with your day’s work and achieve the milestones that you have planned earlier. In other words, it does not let you procrastinate or sabotage your plans.
Positive affirmations also prevent any negative thoughts from holding you back and demotivating you. They build confidence and keep reluctance at bay, helping you accomplish all your personal and professional goals beating away winter blues.
Some experts say that positive affirmations make you most prolific and active by strengthening your neural pathways. So, don’t forget to remind yourself of the following affirmations.
What could be even better than snuggling in bed during winter? Going out or hanging with your best pals!
Make plans and take yourself out to exciting events where you can interact with your close friends and have fun. In the end, you will find your mind happy and recharged, ready to start again your monotonous situation with a new zeal.
Research revealed that social interactions or specifically, cheerful times with loved ones release several neurotransmitters, including serotonin. They are responsible for elevating the mood by contributing to causing positive feelings and contentment.
Make vacation plans or get-togethers for the Christmas holidays, and create as many memories as possible. Good times have a hangover effect too. You’ll reminisce about it and find yourself smiling and jolly for days after the event.
In addition, socialising is also responsible for alleviating stress and provides a lot of emotional support, necessary for boosting energy levels.
While music heals by relaxing the mind, treat it as a way to boost energy in winter.
According to mental health experts, music activates the brain’s reward system, which subsequently releases dopamine, the feel-good hormone. It causes the feeling of pleasure, happiness, and motivation that stimulates the brain to stay active.
Listening to peppy songs or upbeat music also boosts physical activity by instantly reviving the mood. If the thought of exercising or working out in freezing weather crumbles your spirits, try playing your favourite band or artist and see how your mind gets perky and ready in a minute.
To overcome the wave of sadness on those freezing days, pamper your feet and try some warm foot soaks.
Winter can be unexpectedly harsh on your feet. Cold air along with continuous dry indoor heating leads to cracked heels and rugged skin. While that can further bring down your winter mood, foot soak therapy is a remedy!
Try simple homemade DIY foot soaks like peppermint bliss foot soak, cinnamon cider humidifier soak, or simple warm Epsom salt water soak.
While these keep your feet toasty and soft, don’t forget to do it routinely for best results. Warming up your feet leaves your body cosier too, lifting your mood and energising your mind.
Winter torments can take a toll on your health as the chemical balance in the body is disturbed and the routine body cycle breaks. From cooking in the kitchen to going out, every job seems to be backbreaking in harsh chilly weather.
To make sure the cold temperature doesn’t affect your health, take herbal supplements along with a wholesome diet. They work wonders for your health by balancing all the nutrients in the body.
Made of authentic herbs, fruits, berries, roots, and leaves, the supplements are loaded with essential nutrients, vitamins, and nutrients. Thanks to all these medical advancements, you get all the goodness in the tablets.
According to experts, some of the most effective herbal supplements to overcome energy-deficit and major health problems are made with herbs like Echinacea and Elderberry.
Herbal supplements are highly valued for their healing benefits. Owing to their numerous bioactive components, they have medicinal effects which cause improvement in blood flow and digestive and cardiovascular health.
Apart from their higher nutritional quotient, they boost immunity and enhance overall wellness. Include this herbal supplemental intake in your routine to overcome this difficult season.
Last but not least practice winter-breathing exercises.
They are also relaxation exercises that help you elevate stress and help boost energy and mood. Anxiety and stress are common problems during winter. But, nothing is better than deep breathing exercises to beat the chill and uneasiness caused in the body.
Winter-breathing exercises, like deep belly breaths and nostril breathing help in easing lethargy and tiredness. These improve your oxygen flow giving a feeling of warmth and relaxation.
If you find it hard to deal with your winter jitters, practice any breathing exercises daily and see the effective results. You can stay warm and navigate the day with vitality and positivity.
It’s common to get winter blues when temperatures drop so low. Shortened daylight and freezing air irks your nerves, making you feel unenergetic and demotivated. Usual day-to-day jobs like getting out of bed or going out for work become the toughest thing to do in the chilly season.
Health experts explain the prime reason behind the feeling of winter murkiness as the altering circadian rhythm in the body due to less exposure to sunlight. However, there have to be some solutions or ways out to wave off the gloominess and sluggishness vibes of winter and enjoy the season.
Take help from this guide on how to increase energy levels in winter and make the most of the holiday season. From ways to combat fatigue and lethargic vibes to reducing stress, we discussed all the ways to stay healthy and jolly this winter.
But, if you are looking for a quick effective way to raise energy in chilly weather instantly, try out the IV therapy of Nexx. We offer personalised IV drips to our customers depending on their needs and underlying health conditions.
Our IV therapy in Dubai advocated by top health experts will help you address nutritional deficiencies too. Get in touch today for elevating winter vitality and boosting stamina while overcoming winter moodiness.
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