Guest blog Krista Westervoort: Head into winter fit with 7 tips against a winter slump

We're on a mission: to make healthy sports nutrition available to everyone in a simple and quick way. We'd like to share this mission with our partners, the Muscle Meals Athletes. Every month, one of them shares their story. This month it's the turn of Krista Westervoort, personal trainer and active online as Krissfit! She gives 7 tips to stay fit through winter and skip the winter slump.

SOUND FAMILIAR? THE WINTER SLUMP

The clocks have gone back and the days are getting shorter again. When your alarm goes off in the morning, you leave your warm bed to head to work in the dark and the cold. During your work break, you stay inside. It's too cold to feel like going out for a bit. By the time you finish work, it's dark again. You get home, and after cooking you drop onto the sofa to recover from the long working day. You'd like to do something fun outside the house, but you're tired and you don't really know what you could do anyway. So you spend the whole evening watching Netflix, while you're already dreading the next working day. Days like this can really get you down. To end the day on a high note, you open a bag of M&M’s. And of course, you finish the whole bag! Sound familiar?

One in four Dutch people sometimes struggle with a winter slump. The symptoms often start in autumn and end again in spring. The main cause is a lack of daylight. As the days get shorter and the sunlight gets weaker, your biological clock gets thrown off. As a result, your body produces large amounts of melatonin (the sleep hormone), which makes you feel more tired. As well as tired, you can feel down and listless.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON YOUR FITNESS PROGRESS?

A winter slump can have a negative effect on your fitness progress. When you feel down, you often feel less like doing activities. That makes it harder to push yourself to go to the gym. You also feel more tired, so you move less outside your workouts and your energy expenditure is lower. At the same time, the tiredness makes you crave mostly carb-rich food. The increased appetite combined with lower energy expenditure can lead to you gaining fat mass.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT A WINTER SLUMP?

1. GO OUTSIDE WHEN IT'S LIGHT

Daylight makes you produce less melatonin, so you feel more energetic. Light at the start of the day in particular has a positive effect on your biological clock. If you get the chance, go outside for a bit in the morning when it's light. Or make it a habit to take a half-hour walk during your work break.

2. KEEP YOUR SLEEP RHYTHM

When you feel more tired, it's tempting to sleep in at the weekend to "catch up". But this often only makes the tiredness worse during the week. Sleeping in disrupts your biological clock, so you fall asleep less easily during the week. Focus instead on getting up and going to bed at the same times. If you feel you need more sleep, focus on going to bed earlier instead of sleeping in longer.

3. MOVE EVERY DAY

Even though it can be hard to push yourself to move when you feel listless, it's a major factor in reducing low moods. Exercise releases the hormone endorphin, which makes you feel happier. Exercise also boosts the release of BDNF. This substance plays a role in the reward system in your brain and acts as a natural antidepressant. So keep this in mind if you find it hard to get off the sofa.

4. EAT NUTRITIOUS FOOD, AND EAT REGULARLY

Minerals and vitamins affect your hormone balance. For example, vitamin B6 is needed to produce dopamine and serotonin. So make sure you eat a varied diet with as few processed foods as possible, so you get enough nutrients.

Also try to eat at set times. Your body has a fixed biorhythm (called the circadian rhythm). This means you get hungry at the times you're used to eating. Research shows that if you sometimes skip meals, you're more likely to make up for those calories later in the day and end up overeating.

5. SUPPLEMENTS

A vitamin D deficiency can play a role in low moods. In winter, your skin produces less vitamin D because it gets less sun exposure. A vitamin D deficiency could therefore be a major factor in getting a winter slump. It can help to take a vitamin D supplement every day, for example the SportMeals vitamin D3.

Research also suggests that vitamin B12 may be linked to getting a winter slump. Vitamin B12 is found in animal products, so it's advisable for vegetarians and vegans to take a vitamin B12 supplement every day.

6. TALK TO OTHERS ABOUT IT

Always take your symptoms seriously and seek help if you're struggling. You can turn to your family, friends or your GP, for example. Don't be afraid to ask a coach or trainer for help either, if you find it hard to keep making progress in your sports performance during winter.

7. FINALLY: MINDSET IS KEY

Your feelings come from your own thoughts. Even though it isn't always easy, you are in control of your thoughts. You can shape your mindset: every time a negative thought comes up, turn it around into a positive one. The glass is always half full!

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