Springing Back to Life

The shift to better weather is an invitation to get things on track. Seize it and don’t let go.

By Robert Irvine

In the north, the snow is starting to melt. In the south, the weather is hitting a peak that’s unrivaled during the rest of the year. Wherever you live, spring means new life. In nature, that means the desolation of winter is replaced with bird song, greenery, and mating season. For too many humans, especially office workers, it can mean nothing more than the fact that it’s nice out when you go to pick up lunch.

I write a lot about how you should be setting goals all year for yourself. That you shouldn’t wait for a new year to set resolutions. Similarly, I don’t want you to wait for nice weather to start taking care of yourself. But this is one of the few times where motivation comes gift wrapped from nature itself. To pass up the opportunity is to needlessly make things harder on yourself. Why rely solely on motivation from within when the very air, cool and crisp, is demanding that you get outside and move?

Fresh air and a general sense of well-being aren’t the only reasons to get out and get going. It turns out that whatever sun you were getting during the winter didn’t do much for your vitamin D stores. One recent study showed that anyone who lives above the Texas panhandle doesn’t make any vitamin D during winter months. Vitamin D deficiency manifests as low energy, muscle and bone pain, and decreased strength. Supplements and foods rich in vitamin D—like milk, eggs, and fish—can help, but the best way to get it remains direct exposure to the sun.

So, grease up the bicycle chain, lace up your running shoes, or grab a pair of dumbbells and go lift weights outside. You might not consider yourself a fitness enthusiast—the kind of person who sets up their entire life schedule around the workouts—but getting your heart pumping during the change of season can certainly make you feel like one. And once you get that feeling, it’s one you’ll never want to let go.

Yours in Health,

Robert