Even though the days are gradually getting longer and Spring is just around the corner, you still may find yourself experiencing the "winter Blues". The "winter blues" are characterized by mild depression, lack of motivation, and low energy that many people experience during this cold season. Luckily, there's a lot you can do to both prevent the blues from coming on and get yourself back to normal if they're already here.

1. Go Bright: Whenever you're feeling a little blue consider adding some bright hue's to "brighten" your mood. Colors can have a positive or negative effect on your mood so take advantage of vibrant colors like reds and oranges to really bust those winter blues.
2. Eat a Healthy Diet: Avoid refined and processed foods (like white breads, white rice, white flour and sugar). These foods are not only devoid of the nutrients your body craves, but they zap your energy levels and can affect your mood-causing depression, lack of concentration, and mood swings. Try to incorporate more complex carbohydrates (whole wheat breads, brown rice, veggies and fruit) and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
3. Get Active: The winter blues can take their toll on your physical and emotional well being. Often times, as the winter progresses you may find that you are less active. Make it a point to be active at least three or four days a week. Even a half hour of running or cycling can help improve your mood.
4. Light up Your Day: It is believed that one of the biggest causes of Seasonal Depression is the decrease in serotonin caused by a lack of sunlight. Long hours spent at work under flourescent lights are often met with early darkness which means a large majority of people who work nine to five rarely see the sun. Combating this can be as simple as taking a walk during your lunch or replacing your home lights with full spectrum lights. Both of these solutions will boost your mood by subjecting you to light. When you get home from work try to turn on a few lights and avoid sitting in dimly lit or dark rooms.
5. Treat Yourself: Having something to look forward to can keep anyone motivated. Winter seems endless! But if you plan something exciting, your mood improves while you're anticipating it and lasts until the event actually comes. Plan something that's exciting to you - a weekend trip, a day at the spa, a party, or special event like a play, a night out, or a sporting event.
6. Day Dream: Sometimes the one thing you want, sunny days, is the last thing you can get, but that doesn't mean there is no hope. Let your mind escape for a few minutes each day. When you're having a particularly bad day, close your eyes and imagine yourself in your favorite summer setting. Feel the sun on your body and light that floods your mind.
7. Relax: You're busy! Work, family, friends, appointments, meetings - even if you enjoy being busy, everyone needs some time off. Don't be afraid to say "No" to extra duties (covering a shift for a co- worker, bringing food to your child's class party). Try to spend a few minutes each day doing nothing! Read a book or magazine, go to bed early, try meditating, or take a yoga class. Relaxation can alleviate stress and leave you with a calm energy.
8. Embrace the Season: Instead of avoiding the cold and snow - look for the best that it has to offer! Take up a winter sport like ice skating, snowboarding or sledding! Staying active will boost your energy. Seeing winter in a positive light, with all the fun activities that it has to offer, will keep your spirits high.
9. Plants and Flowers: You may not be able to change the outdoors but you can bring some life into your home or office with plants and flowers. Not only will these simple reminders of Spring brighten your day, they will also improve the air quality of your home, which is often closed up tight for the cold winter months.
10. Get Enough Sleep: People naturally want to sleep a little more during the winter. But with all we have going on, sometimes sleep is the first thing to go. Aim for 8 hours each night, and try to keep your bedtime and waking time consistent. Also a short afternoon nap may be all you need to re-energize you midday.

If you would like some support and guidance in realizing your health and wellness goals go to www.aboutsimplebalance.com and find out more about our services.

A stupendous insight of civilizations past has now been confirmed by today's investigative, nutritional sciences. They have shown that what was once called "The Doctrine of Signatures" was astoundingly correct. It now contends that every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and that this pattern acts as a signal or signs as to the benefit the food provides the eater.

Here is just a short list of examples of Whole Food Signatures.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Grapefruits, Oranges, and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells they even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

The news isn't that fruits and vegetables are good for you, it's that they are so good for you, they create and can save your life.

If you would like to learn more about adding healthy whole foods to your diet go to www.aboutsimplebalance.com and sign up for a Complimentary Health Consultation with Kelly, Jodi or Shelly...

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