10 Comments

  1. I took my fish oil today and my multi vitamins with B.
    I'll be heading out for a run soon and I will leave my sunglasses at home.
    I could easily give into a depressive state today. Got bad news this morning. Another opportunity to live what I believe. More faith stretching at our house.
    I'll be fighting against giving into sadness.

  2. My vitamin D was extremely low last year…I had to go on a mega dose, like 50,000 once a week for 3 months. Most Americans are vitamin D deficient, and for me being African American it's even worse…darker skin has a harder time absorbing sun. That and I was also severely anemic to the point of needing a blood transfusion! Anemia can cause depression too! And both are common in women. After getting 2 units of blood I felt SOOOOOOOOO much better! I don't know where my Vit. D levels are right now, but God has given me a few reminders, including your post, that I need to get back into that and into taking B vitamins. Those are great too. I know one thing, I'll never wear sunscreen again. I read that vitamin D deficiency can contribute to high blood pressure…and guess what! African Americans have high rates of high blood pressure and the lowest amounts of Vit. D! And now I'm on bp pills…it's hereditary, everyone in my family is on them. Go figure. It's all connected! One thing I need to do somehow is exercise. I think that would solve so many minor issues. I keep threatening to find a Zumba class, it actually looks FUN. Otherwise exercise to me is as exciting as a visit to the dentist…which I hate.

    Anyway, thanks for sharing!!!

  3. Not to rub it in, but it's a beautiful day here today in Sunny Miami. But I'm at work sitting in my dreary office looking out at the courtyard — it's almost a "tease". I try to take my multi vitamins, b vitamins, and fish oils. I drink a lot of milk and eat a lot of yogurt. I wonder how my vitamin D intake is. hum? Will have to look into that. I read recently, that Vitamin D was also the skin super vitamin. So look at that, you can reduce depression, increase your calcium absorption AND have great skin with Vitamin D!

    Spring Break plans? What is that?

  4. Sandy, I just wanted to make note:
    – Never, ever, ever take herbal remedies while you are on other medications UNLESS both your doctor and pharmacist have given you the okay!
    St. John's Wort has been found to interact badly with a number of antidepressants and anti-convulsants (among others).
    Just an fyi.
    P.S. I love, love, love to take 10 in a tanning bed in winter! Awesome light therapy!

  5. Hey, Sandy, I´m back! I have missed you! wEll, I know I am the one that took a long break but hope to get back on reading and writing about fitness.

    Love this post! it is sooo important for those in my area to. Asturias Spain is sooo dreary sometimes. We equate it to Seatle. I am not up on the stats, but I totally related to what you wrote.

    WE had sun today and I got out twice to walk. (out of necessity but hey I was out) Here we have to walk to the bank, store and where ever else. I love it.

    Do you have any nutrition or fitness degrees or certification? (not to grill you but because I am looking to get some kind of certification) My husband and I are looking to open an association. We will call it BE STRONG. fitness strength training as well as spiritual strength training.

    Thanks for any imput you can give.

    So excited to be back in touch!

    Dani Joy

  6. Sandy,

    I don't pretend to be smart enough to understand all the vitamins and proteins and I'm obviously not a diet expert either! There are, however, three or four quick things I would add to your ideas here – at least on helping deal with the Winter Blues.

    First, hugs. Hugs are good. I like hugs. They help make me feel better. It's often even better to hug in the winter as hugging in the summer in a swim suit may be a tad awkward.

    Second, laughing. It was either the Bible or Reader's Digest that said "laughter was the best medicine". Either way, I think it is true. Sharing a funny movie or games or dinner with friends is a great way to deter depression (assuming your friends aren't real losers, which may be a cause of depression in and of itself).

    Third, an accountability group. Having a close group of trusted friends to share with and support you is great. However, being a friend who provides support is also therapeutic (IMHO). They will pick you up when you need it and call out any B.S. if you are just being a whiner.

    Finally – check out Phil 4:8-9. It tells us the things we need to "think on" so that we may have the "God of peace with us".

    Every cloudy, damp day is one day closer to that first warm Spring day. And I agree completely that it can't come soon enough.

  7. Thank you Sandy. I think I've really struggled this past year as a stay-at-home mom who didn't get as much sun as she needed, or light, or exercise, or ate as good as she should have. I've actually written down a few of your tips… and I'm going to start "pumping up" the energy. And getting rid of some of that gloom. THANK YOU!!!!

  8. I love this post because the top of my list for this week are: pedicure, spray on tan and buy flip flops. I'm totally trying to speed it up. Not kidding.

    When I just visited my doc, my vitamin D level was a big whopping 0!!!! No wonder I was sleeping all the time. I need sunshine. I can't wait until I can wiggle my toes in the sand with you. (I have big plans for us) 🙂

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