I won’t lie. I find January tough. And not just January. A large proportion of February is pretty hard-going too. The cheery relatives have all departed; Christmas decorations have been tidied away and the Council have shredded the tree. My RHS exam revision fails to inspire. I feel sluggish, demotivated and generally low - and I know I am not alone.
I concede that I don’t really help myself. I comfort-cake-bake (and eat); I ‘forget’ to go to the Monday lunchtime yoga session; I make excuses to avoid going for a run (too slippery, dodgy calf muscle…). Topical then, that I should flick on Radio 4’s ‘Start the Week’ this Monday evening to hear Andrew Marr interviewing science journalist Linda Geddes about the significance of sunlight in improving general health and well-being.
Most of us are aware of the importance of sunlight for our intake of Vitamin D. Added to this, exposure to sunlight is also crucial for strengthening our circadian clocks, which contributes to improving our mood. The level of illuminance (light level) in a standard, normally-lit office measures at about 200 lux. On a dull, overcast winter’s day, the level of illuminance outside will still clock in around ten times more, at about 2000 lux; on a bright, clear winter’s day, it can be as much as 70,000 lux.
For those with desk-based and indoor jobs, this is compelling evidence for the benefit yielded by going outside in the lunch-break, even if just for a short time. Your mood and productivity in the afternoon will improve vastly.
Make it a priority to get outside during your lunch break; you’ll feel so much better for it.
I always, without fail, feel better for being outside, every single time. Once I’ve overcome the effort required to find and put on a few extra layers and locate my work boots, I know for sure that I won’t regret getting out into the fresh air.
Yesterday, I decided to take my own advice (see previous blog) and clear some space to install my second compost bin. I also gathered up the remaining leaves to throw in, in order to weigh it down a bit and get the composting started. An hour passed in a flash and the light was starting to fail, but I felt brighter and more alert; satisfied in a list-ticking kind of way - and perhaps even justified in rewarding myself with that piece of homemade chocolate brownie.
I love eating cake… but in the winter, I need to make myself qualify for it.
To keep me hanging in there, I look forward to mid-February; we’ll arrange some fun (hopefully outdoor) stuff to do during the half-term holiday; my RHS exams will be done and dusted; the days will be getting noticeably longer, and what’s more, it’s my birthday!
In the meantime, my advice to everyone is to take a high-strength vitamin D supplement and get outside!
