Beat the Blue Monday blues!
17th January, 2022
As January rolls around everyone has every best intention of kick starting a new health and fitness journey. Even those who begin the year with huge amounts of determination and motivation find it hard to maintain this momentum all the way through January.
After all the joy of the Christmas festivities and New Year celebrations January is always known to be a pretty depressing time of year. The hours of daylight are limited, the weather is dreary and as the temperature continues to plummet. The hardest point of the month is renowned as Blue Monday, which this year falls on 17th January. Usually falling on the third Monday of the month, this day is said to be the most depressing day of the year. Calculated using an equation that takes into account the poor weather conditions, the number of already failed new year resolutions, the drag of being back to work, and the long wait until payday after spending a ridiculous amount of money over the Christmas period.
Are you still trying to stumble your way through the post-Christmas fog to find just an ounce of motivation to kickstart 2022? Here is a reminder of how getting active can help you battle through those blues and get through January with a more positive mind set.
• Exercise can help to establish routine. It’s common for all routine to go out the window during the festive period. However, it’s then hard to get that routine back as he enter a new year. Finding an exercise routine that works for you is a great way to help structure your day and get a routine back into your life.
• Believe it or not, exercising early in the mornings can help you feel recharged and energised. Stimulating the release of melatonin and cortisol early in the morning is a great way to kickstart your day, helping you to be more alert*. Exercise also improves your cardiovascular system which helps with endurance and stamina; in the long run, this will give you more energy throughout the day and stop you feeling so fatigued in the afternoon.
• A lot of people enjoy exercising because they see it as their escape. It is an hour or so in the day where you are able to work on yourself and not be focused on the stresses of day to day life. Doing some form of exercise that gets you outside such as cycling encourages you to look beyond your usual surroundings. Getting out of your usual environment can be refreshing and help to clear the mind.
• If you’re getting bored of cycling, why not try something new. Giving yourself a challenge, such as tricycling, to work on in the new year can help you feel more motivated and like you’ve accomplished something.
Have you been telling yourself for years that you’ll be more active in the new year but rarely make it past the second week of January? Here are some tips to help you get through January (and Blue Monday especially) to give you some kind of chance of sticking to your New Year resolutions for 2022.
• Find a way for your resolution to support a good cause. For example, committing yourself to raising money for charity is a great way to give purpose to your resolution and hold you accountable whilst also supporting charities at the same time.
• When looking at the big goals you set yourself for the year, or even just for January, it can be overwhelming. It’s therefore important to set yourself small, achievable goals that build up to your final end goal. Taking these smaller steps will help keep you motivated!
• Look back at how far you’ve come! Don’t get too bogged down what you still want to achieve. Reflecting on the small steps you’ve taken, what you’ve already achieved and taking the time to celebrate this small wins is important.
• Get other people involved! Try to get your family and friends involved in your new years resolutions, it can not only help hold you accountable make things less repetitive and boring. For example, turn your usual weekend cycle into a family fun cycle!