With the temperatures dropping and the days getting shorter and darker, it is very common for the winter time blues to set in.  This is also commonly called SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, and it affects millions of people every year.  Here are some ways to help beat the winter time blues from getting you down and out all winter long.
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1. ​Eat some chocolate.  Yep, you read the correctly.  Eat a little bit of chocolate as it has a mood enhancing quality about it that also promotes relaxation and helps decrease anxiety.  Be careful to not over indulge, though, as too much can lead you into a depression slump.  So just a little bit is good for you.
2. Exercise.  Exercising is proven to help boost your feel good endorphins as well.  Feeling stressed or angry?  Lifting weights or doing an intense cardio workout can help displace those feelings.  Practice yoga or pilates and help calm your mind and body down while toning your body.  Really, working out is a win-win!
3. Shed some light on it.  Sun and light therapy has been a long time recommendation for those who have depression, especially those who experience SAD.  Sitting next to bright light or a light box for 30 minutes can help brighten your day.  Open up your blinds during the day and try to get as much daylight as you can. 
4. Get out of town.  Traveling to someplace that has more sunshine can always help.  If you can’t afford a big vacation to someplace tropical, try to plan a little trip to a more southern state that is more likely to be sunnier and even warmer.
5. Go outside.  I know, it’s cold and miserable outside in the winter, but the fresh air and changing your surroundings can be very beneficial to your state of mind. It can also re-energize you.
6. Help other.  When you are feeling down and out, doing things to help others will help lift your own spirits.  The generous act of kindness it two-fold and focusing on others who need assistance and help will help remind you that you are a great support system for others, too. What goes around comes around.  Helping others helps you!
7. Get a massage.  What better way to relieve stress, tension, and to relax your own mind than to get on a massage table and let someone else soothe away the blues?  Massage is great at not only promoting relaxation, but also at stimulating the mood boosting endorphins and reducing feelings of anxiety and depression. 
8. Pump up the volume.  Play some of your favorite songs, especially those that make you feel more upbeat.  If a song makes you smile or want to dance, play it.  Stimulating your mind with upbeat music has an uplifting effect that can help break up those blues that you may be feeling.
   
   

When the winter time blues start to set in, try some of these tips to help overcome and beat being in a slump all winter long.  If you are battling depression on a deeper level, please seek help from a medical professional who is experienced in helping people who have depression.   

​Like shin splints, side aches are also a very common occurrence for anyone who runs. The painful muscle spasm or cramping on the side of your abdomen, just below the rib cage, can leave you grabbing your side and hunched over the affected side.  Although there is no conclusive reason as to why side aches occur, most believe that it is due to when the diaphragm spasms or cramps from the jostling of the pounding motion in combination with improper breathing techniques.  Much like a leg cramp, the diaphragm can lack blood flow with the contractions while working and cause the spasm to occur.
So what can you do if you get a side ache?

• Slow down or stop all together. – Push your hand and fingers into the painful area and gently bend into the side that is cramping.  Leaning forward slightly can help too. This will help relax the diaphragm and increase blood flow to the area.
• Take deep breaths. – Slow your breathing down by taking deep breaths and slowly exhale.  Slowing your breath down will help calm and relax your diaphragm as well. Some recommend that as you run, you should try to exhale when your opposite heel strikes the ground.  This will help shift the balance away from the cramping side and allow it to relax a little more.
• Lenghten and extend your rib cage. – Reach your hands over head and stretch them toward the sky.  Hold this position as you focus on your deep breaths and slow exhales.  The cramping muscles should start to calm down and the pain will begin to subside.

What can you do to help prevent from getting the dreaded side ache?

• Pay attention to your breathing. – Shallow breaths can decrease the amount of blood and oxygen going to your muscles when they need it the most.  Practice taking deep breaths into the belly rather than the shorter ones that only fill the lungs.
• Pay attention to what and when you eat. – Just like swimming or any other exercise, it is not recommended to eat right before you go running.  Try eating 30 minutes to 2 hours before hand so you have time to digest the food.  Eating a small snack like a banana is ok, but never a full meal.  It’s often not recommended to eat foods that are high in fiber or fat right beforehand as well, as they take longer for the body to digest.
• Avoid drinking concentrated fruit juices or any beverage with sugar in it. – Stick to drinking water whenever possible.  The concentrated amounts of glucose in fruit juices can pull water into your intestines and cause cramping.
• Warm up before exercising.  – Do some brisk walking or slow jogging and do some dynamic warm ups for 5-10 minutes before you start running.  These will get the blood flowing and the muscles warmed up and help reduce the chances of getting muscle cramps or spasms.
• Gradually increase the intensity of the workouts. – Go for duration rather than intensity when you start your workouts.  Start at a slower pace, were you can control your breathing and not over exert your muscles.  Side aches are a lot more common for people who are starting up a new program than an experienced athlete.  Take your time building up your pace and stamina.  If you start to feel a tinge of pain start to creep up, slow back down and relax your diaphragm.

When it comes to running, rhythm is your friend.  Find a comfortable pace that you can maintain for a distance and where you can keep a steady, and deep, breathing pattern as well.  If you start to feel a side ache happening, slow down and refocus your deep breath work.  Always warm up your muscles to prevent cramps and spasms and stretch your muscles out afterwards.  Your body will thank you.  Happy running!

Everyone has experienced a muscle cramp at least once in their life.  Muscle cramps can be a sudden and crippling feeling of pain as your muscles begin to spasm out of your control.  This involuntary contraction of muscles can be very brief, lasting only a few seconds, or they can last for minutes.  They most often occur in the legs in the calves or hamstrings, or they may occur in the feet or hands. Regardless of their longevity or location, they can be quite painful when they occur.  So what causes muscles to cramp and spasm?

Some of the most common reasons for muscles cramps are:

• Dehydration – When there is a depletion of fluids in your body, the muscles start to contract in restriction to the lack of fluids, often leading to cramps and sore muscles.
• Mineral Deficiency – Maintaining a balanced level of electrolytes in your system can help prevent your muscles from cramping. When you are lacking in potassium, calcium, sodium, or magnesium, your muscles are more likely to cramp up when you are deficient in these nutrients.
• Overuse &  Fatigue – Intense or prolong exercising can cause injuries and cramping due to the overuse of the muscles.  The muscles can get dehydrated and lose excessive amounts of minerals and other nutrients that they need to function at their peak.  Overuse and exertion can also lead to muscle fatigue.  Being mentally and physically tired can lead to an increase risk of muscles cramping up.  This can even happen after you stop doing activities and are resting, such as night cramps.
• Prolong Holding  - Whether you are sitting or standing for extended lengths of time or gripping your hands tightly for a long time, holding one position for an prolong amount of time can cause the muscles to start to cramp.  The constant contraction of the muscles with no break can cause the involuntary spasms.

So, you get a muscle cramp, what do you do to help alleviate the pain and calm the muscles back down? 

• Stop doing any activity that may have caused the cramping
• Stretch the contracted muscle out.
• Massage the tight muscles to promote relaxation.
• Make sure you are drinking plenty of water.
• Check your amount of consumption of electrolytes and add more potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium as needed.  (Check with your doctor to see you have a deficiency in all or some of these if cramping occurs on a frequent and regular basis).
• If from prolong holding, move muscles and shake them out.
• You may also add heat or cold to the cramping muscles to help relax and ease the tensing muscles.

In some cases, self-care is not enough.  If you have excessive amounts of cramping, they occur regularly and frequently, or often last for prolonged amounts of time, you should make an appointment to see your doctor.  You could have a more serious underlying health issue that needs to be addressed.  
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