"I fear I've wasted all my sun, I fear I've wasted all my time. Everything is faded. Smiles are fabricated now. Held my eyes closed for too long." ~Fuel
We are extremely blessed to have on average 300 days of sun during most of the year in Colorado. When winter rolls through, Coloradans experience a huge contrast as most of our non-sunny days come all at once.
One of the many blessings of living in Colorado is also a curse as we spend more and more of our time indoors. The incandescent bulb is missing many of the color variances of the sun's natural color spectrum containing large amounts of yellow (stress-inducing) and decreased amounts of blue (calming), vital for proper neurological development of the parietal and frontal regions of the brain.
During the holidays we encounter many stressors on our bodies. Our friends, families, churches, schools, and social circles ask us to celebrate the holiday season with them which adds stress to our lives throughout an already self-inflicted stressful period. Often our exercise routines take a nose-dive, our eating habits become carb-loaded, and our minds become others-oriented. All of these factors are in themselves not terrible, but put them all into a 40-day period and we find extreme levels of self-inflicted stress and undue tension.
Also at this time we tend to hibernate in our warm homes, offices and cars. Those lunch time walks and evening dog necessities become farther and farther apart. The natural physiological tendency is to load up on food and begin to prepare for a tough season ahead. The problem is that we live in the 21st century. Starbucks, Krispie Kreme, Budweiser and Safeway Deli don't care about our lack of motivation. We tend to push push push through the season and come out the other end with a list of resolutions to keep us busy for several months trying to restore our health, weight and sanity.
Some tips for staying happy, healthy and reduce your stress this winter season:
- Chiropractic - Of course! This not only aids your body's ability to properly regulate blood sugar, digestion, sleep cycles, menstruation, cancer, but it also helps restore range of motion and rehabilitating the body and brain after falls, ski accidents and other injuries.
- Get plenty of exercise
- Eye Lights - These wonderful devices help to balance brain activity when used in conjunction with chiropractic. They provide brain balancing stimulation to the less stimulated areas of the brain at any point during the day.
- Light Therapy - Full spectrum light bulbs decrease depression, anxiety, tension, sleep disturbances, migraines, high blood pressure, sugar and starch craving, violence and agression, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and much more. They have also been shown to increase alertness, energy, productivity, calcium absorption, visual acuity, immune system function, academic performance, concentration and cooperation. Visit lightforhealth.com for more information.
- Nutrition - Omega 3 Fish Oils (supports all cellular function and immune system support and neurological development), Protein (Increase cellular repair and neurological development), Symplex M/F (supports hormonal pathways), Min-Chex (Supports concentration and relaxation, is good for ADD and ADHD), Niacinamide B6 (supports neurology, aids in depression, vasodilation and fatty acid metabolism), St. Johns Wort (supports nervousness and nervous system function), Nevaton (helps with nervousness, concentration, anxiety and depression.)
With these tips, you can hopefully enjoy and stress-less and happy winter season.
by Dr. John Wendt
