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Fighting the Winter Blues...

Besides the obvious benefits of exercise for youngsters, it is now believed that exposure to outside light is helpful to fight the winter blues. The term "winter blues" was coined by Dr. Norman Rosenthal while researching the effects of winter weather on people's moods. In his historic book, Winter Blues, he describes the blues as a clinical condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Rosenthal theorized that it was the lack of sunlight in winter that coincided with seasonal depression in some people.

Jane Kinyon, a clinical professor in the School of Nursing, says mild depression, or the "blahs," are common in the winter due to the double impact of a lack of sunlight and the often bitter cold temperatures that discourage outdoor activities. She says that's why more discipline is needed this time of year to keep spirits afloat.

"In addition to the obvious things - eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep - it's important to make ourselves do things like have lunch with a friend or take a walk," Kinyon says. "We must schedule activities like this and make ourselves get out in the winter because we might not do them otherwise."

Winter does not have to be a miserable time of the year. For ideas on keeping yourself busy, check out the Places to Go, Things to Do, and People to See pages on this site...


(ARA) - The beginning of a new year - and a new decade - is the time many people pledge to live differently. For many, that change means living a more sustainable lifestyle. Sustainability, once only a buzz word, is now fast becoming the way to live consciously.

From reducing your water usage to buying organic, here are 10 simple ways to make 2010 the year of sustainable living: >More