March: listening to our bodies during the winter months
Taking a moment to breathe and move with intention can make a big difference in performance and how you feel during winter.
Oh the month of March!
When we think of March, we often think: spring! We are almost in springtime! The notion of clearer skies, flowers blooming, lighter clothing and longer days is so welcome. But more often though, March delivers winter in a bigger way than we anticipate. Even when the Groundhog promises otherwise!
Interestingly, winter is a season of contradictions: we know that we need to continue to keep our bodies and minds healthy especially during the holidays and into the later months of the winter woes. But many of us may still be feeling a pull to slow down, hibernate, do less, get cozy, take the path of least resistance. We wonder: is this just me? Is this normal to feel this way? The answer is a definitive: Yes! This is normal! Winter affects humans as it does plants not just because of temperature changes but also because we see less daylight and our bodies feel that change.
So what should we do? Are we supposed to just abandon our healthy patterns of exercise and behaviors? Is this a free pass to laziness? No, not entirely. But it is important to recognize if your body is trying to tell you it wants to slow down a bit-a down shift if you will. This down shifting may be critical to observe if you find you are needing it, but ignoring it for fear it is going to break up your mojo and routine. Injuries can happen this way. In fact it’s important to note that many injuries occur in the winter when people are doing sports in the cold outdoors because they fail to get adequate hydration while exercising. If you are someone who skies or plays paddle, you just don’t sweat as much as you would if you were in the heat playing an equally rigorous sport in the summer. But your body needs to be hydrated despite the temperature outside! Muscles get tight and injuries occur because we don’t stretch and hydrate enough-especially in the winter months.
Winter is and should be a time of rest and recovery before spring arrives and the energy in our bodies is restored. However, rest doesn’t always have to mean being sedentary. Winter movement should still be a focus but the intensity can be the difference. Try a winter hike where the focus isn’t about how fast you go or even how long you hike for; instead it’s about the intentional focus of how you move, navigating the terrain more carefully perhaps and really pausing to take in your surroundings. Exercise like yoga, and tai chi where you are focused on your inner strength and vitality are excellent choices-especially in the winter months. It’s an opportunity to be a little quieter with your body to really identify what your body needs at this time. Change up in your routine can be a very good thing! Often, surprisingly, people may find they lose weight when they go from exercising rigorously to exercising less strenuously. This may be because they are not stressing the body out as much which causes it to store fat for protection. Another thing to take note of: If you are finding that you are wanting to drink more coffee than usual, it may be your body trying to tell you that you just need more rest and not more caffeine.
The bottom line is this, in winter: listen to your body; get adequate sleep; move, but move differently, hydrate, stretch, honor your desire to reflect inwards a bit-explore that and embrace what winter gives us: a break. Before you know it, spring really will be here!