Why I think Winter is the best.

There are a couple of reasons I really love winter.  And no, it's not about laying in a warm bed, or cozying up by a fire (but actually, both of those sound pretty darn good.  Darn.....? I just said Darn.  Do people still say "darn"?).

Why do I love winter? Because it forces me to pause for a bit, take stock, and reflect on what I want my body, my health and my life to look like.  Yes, I know the days are dark and cold.  I don't enjoy that part of it.

You see, I'm very lucky.  I get to spend every day on the gym floor and talk to different people all day.  And all the BHC members know I love a good chat.  Every day I get to see what is on people's minds. What they love, their stressors, pain points and the world around them.  And right now, as off June 2023, there's a lot of stress and angst in the world.  High Interest rates, inflation, talks of a possible recession & household sicknesses, etc....

This point of time reminds me a bit of when covid began to happen in 2020.  We were all cautious, uncertain about the future, and worried.  Mentally it took a toll on all of us. And when dealt with difficult times of stress, how did we all respond?  By eating more, gaining weight, drinking booze and moving our bodies less.  Now, if I were to ask you “What are the things that help you deal with stress, anxiety and worry?”, I’m sure you’d say it’s the opposite of all of those things.  Yep, the things we know we shouldn't do, we stupidly end up doing anyway.

So, coming back to why I love winter, it's because it's the perfect time for me to reflect on the things I KNOW I SHOULD BE DOING.  I get stressed out, worry and lack motivation to exercise just like everyone else.  Yep, I'm not perfect (just ask my wife ).  But Winter allows me to reflect on doing the things I know help the best against these stressors.  And you guessed it. I focus on daily exercise, eating good food, meditating daily, journaling and limiting alcohol.  

So I make an extra effort to do these things in Winter.  My Summer self will thank me huge.

Are you doing the right things to combat stress, worry and anxiety?  Let me know, I'd love to hear from you.

If you've read this far, I'll reward you with a dad joke:

I hate it when people don't know the difference between you're and your.  There so stupid.