SAD therapy tip # 10 - St .John's Wort

Some people believe in herbal supplements and some, not so much. St. John's wort is considered a natural alternative to an anti-depressant. It has shown to be effective in fighting against some of the signs relating to SAD.

SAD therapy tip #9 - Take a vacation

I know, I know, COVID sucks and we can't go on vacation. I am not going to lie, I can't ever afford a hot holiday, so I have beach pictures hanging by my bathtub that I look at and travel to in my mind;).

SAD therapy tip #8 - Brighten up your home

When we moved into our house, there wasn't one beside us, so we had this beautiful flood of sunlight that came in throughout the day. It was glorious. Then, one day a construction crew showed up and started building a house beside ours and we had to say good-bye to our afternoon sun. On a side note - great people moved in, so we have some amazing neighbors. But as sunny as their personalities are, it just doesn't replace the brightness and warmth from the actual sun.

SAD tip #7 - Stick to a schedule

So, remember how I said with SAD, you will lack motivation? This is why you have to schedule your life. Sometimes, I feel like it is easier to just go through the motions and do what you have to do in a day, but nothing else. Then you feel worse about yourself because you didn't accomplish anything. This is a slippery slope, so do yourself a favor and make a schedule.

SAD therapy tip #6

Exercise!! I know that I own a gym and have a basement filled with equipment, but November is HARD. I seriously have to do some big self talk some days. I love training and I also know how good it is for me and how it always makes me feel better BUT when you are depressed or struggling mentally, it trumps all those things.

Ok. Here’s a really good one! I try to avoid direct linking in blogs too much. A lot of times things are overly-wordy and difficult to understand (maybe it’s just me! Ha). This article from Pat Sherwood in “The Morning Chalk Up” is super simple and offers some very black and white things to avoid in your fitness journey. I opened the link from them the other morning expecting to read it and get some good insight for a blog topic. The article was so good in itself that I wanted to share it directly with you. There are so many good points in it.

SAD tip #5 - Watch for signs that it is getting worse

There are so many things that can play into our mental state. Seriously, 2020 can be enough to have anyone lose their marbles. If you find that you are really struggling to get out of your "funk", it might be time to talk with someone.

SAD tip #4

Avoid drugs and alcohol. This is kind of tough when these companies market the crap out of it. We are made to believe that no occasion or fun times can be had without the use of drugs or alcohol. Have you ever noticed the amount of alcohol that characters consume on TV or in movies. It is seriously shocking. Plus, they seem to be able to drink these copious amounts and not be hungover...how does that even work?

SAD therapy tip #3

Practice Healthy Habits

You will hear/read me talk about habits a lot. This is because I believe that they are a powerful tool for change. Our brain is really quite amazing and it has the ability to constantly learn, grow and change. You can train your brain with habits to turn into behaviors.

SAD therapy tip #2

Engage in activities that you enjoy. Do you like to read? Play games? Knit? Paint? Whatever you like to do, make a plan to do it. Because you are lacking in energy and motivation, you will need to make a plan for this. If you get energy from being with people, plan things that are with people that are positive and make you happier when you are with them.

SAD therapy tip #1:

Light therapy is an amazing tool to help with SAD. You want to find a light that mimics natural outdoor light as this light appears to cause a change in brain chemicals that are linked to mood. The good thing is that this therapy can start to work within just a few days.

I am going to be very real with you here - November is a tough month in our house. Every year, it seems to get a little harder. Why? Well, because Jason and I suffer from seasonal affective disorder or SAD. It's not ideal to have 2 people in the same house struggle, but we know that it happens so we plan for it and can support each other, taking turns being the "rock" for the other person.

I saw this quote in a meme and I said to myself, "OMG, YES!"

Sometimes, I think back to when I was a kid. You know, when all you worried about was what game you were going to play at recess or if you can play at your friends house after school. I never thought about what was for dinner, how bills were going to be paid or how my clothes looked. Seriously, I would forget to brush my hair some days and it didn't phase me at all🤣

You have probably seen that we are hosting a competition this month. It is an on-line competition given the state of the world (damn COVID). A lot of people shy away from competition for a number of reasons, but I am going to give you a few as to why you should sign up for this competition. ⁠

Do I need a sugar detox diet? I don't think so - most often when you go from zero to hero with anything, it doesn't end well. You just need to make a decision to cut back slowly and before long, your taste buds will adjust and you won't crave the sugar anymore. ⁠

Why do I get a sugar high? So, we know that we do get addicted to sugar, but do you know why that little mini chocolate bar gives you such a nice pick me up (and then crash)? The sugar, or a simple carbohydrate is quickly turned into glucose in your bloodstream - and your blood sugar levels spike.

This past weekend the five fittest men and five fittest women in the world had an opportunity to compete against at the CrossFit Games. “The Games” essentially represent our sports world championships. It’s an opportunity for the rest of us in watch the very best in the sport do their thing. Other than watching some real good fitness and spending some time on the couch, why do we really need the Games? After all, Crossfit is for everyone!

During our daily wods at 306, we do all kinds of movements. We do all kinds of time frames, rep schemes, intervals and domains. That is Crossfit at it’s essence. Jason does an amazing job of programming and our coaches do an amazing job adjusting so every single person who comes in to the gym gets the desired stimulus.

Approaching two years ago our community gained an angel. Benjamin Sawatzky passed away from cancer and the loss to Chad, Carla and the rest of the Sawatzky family was, and continues to be, unimaginable. As our community does when members are in pain or in need, we rallied around them for support. We created a hero WOD for Ben and had a completely packed house to perform his workout, “Benji”. Since that time I have grown closer to Chad and i am fortunate to call him a “friend”. I share this with his permission.

It’s coming! Throughout all of the CoVid shut down and limitations there have been quite a few online competitions announced and ran by different facilities around the world. Some of the athletes at 306 have competed in several different competitions during this time and had great success. Jay and myself have had the opportunity to both participate in and watch other athletes partake and we have took the good and the “not-so-good” from each of them and started brain storming.