Movement & Exercise

Thrive Every Season: A Year-Round Approach to Fitness & Nutrition

Have you ever wondered how the various seasons potentially impact your fitness and eating habits? Let's dive in on how you can start taking a year-round approach to fitness and nutrition.

Have you ever wondered how a year-round approach to fitness and nutrition could impact you? Are you someone whose energy dips during the winter months, making you want to hibernate, while in the summer you get this great surge that makes you feel unstoppable? Well, you’re not alone!

These shifts are perfectly natural. In fact, aligning your health and fitness routines with the rhythms of the seasons can be incredibly beneficial. Embracing the slower pace of winter allows for rest and reflection, while the heightened energy of spring and summer provides the perfect opportunity to set new intentions and recharge your goals. By honoring these seasonal shifts, you can create a dynamic approach to wellness that adapts to your body’s needs year-round, fostering balance, renewal, and sustainable growth.

Why does a seasonal approach work?

Seasonal shifts can affect energy levels, motivation, mood and even metabolism due to changes in temperature and daylight. It can be easy to get into a rut of little to no movement in the colder, darker months, or potentially indulge a bit more in the summer months with the delicious seasonal ice cream shops or late-night dinners with friends. But when the season ends, it can sometimes feel as though your health and fitness goals are too far gone and just the notion of jump-starting your motivation again seems overwhelming. That’s when we run into the vicious cycle of new year resolutions.

Instead of getting “stuck” and needing a full reset every year, find clever ways to honor the particular foods and movement flows that each day and night offer us. (Keep reading for ideas on how to embrace them!) When we find a natural rhythm with our daily habits, the seasons feel less disruptive to our routines, overall.

Here's your year-round approach to fitness and nutrition

How do the seasons affect us anyway?

Becoming more mindful of the natural rhythms of each day and season, you can learn to proactively adapt your routines. Whether it’s adjusting your diet to incorporate seasonal foods, modifying fitness plans to suit the weather, or prioritizing rest during slower periods, bringing these patterns into your awareness empowers you to navigate transitions with greater ease and resilience.

Let’s explore together how understanding these shifts can help you stay balanced, energized, and better prepared to meet your wellness goals year-round.

Sunlight and Circadian Rhythms

In spring and summer, you experience more sunlight, and therefore more opportunities for Vitamin D production, which in turn boosts serotonin production. This “feel-good” chemical, as it is so often called, plays a large role in your mood, energy levels, and even energy for physical activity. When out of whack, it can also disrupt your sleep patterns, cause your appetite to fluctuate and even affect your memory. 

When you spend at least 15-30 minutes outside daily, preferably in the morning or early afternoon, you are getting a good daily boost of that serotonin. You can do this easily through things like walking, gardening, hiking, playing at the park, or even sitting out on the back porch with your morning coffee. 

In the fall and winter months, days are shorter resulting in reduced opportunities for sunlight exposure, particularly for those of us living far from the equator. With a decrease in serotonin levels, some people experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which can impact their motivation to stay active and increase their energy levels. 

But don’t fret! Just because you may feel a little more “blah” in those colder, darker months, keep in mind that it’s okay for your body to mimic the seasons. This may be an ideal time to take a little more rest or utilize more recovery-type workouts to stay active, but be gentle on your body and this season of life. Keep reading for more specific ideas. 

Temperature Changes

Temperature changes may be one of those sneaky factors you may not think about. In the cooler months and seasons, your body uses more energy to maintain your core temperature. This can increase your appetite and make you lean toward those high-calorie comfort foods we all enjoy. In addition to this, you may naturally stay indoors due to the weather, especially if you find the cold uncomfortable or unpleasant. Both of these things combined can cause a person to feel sluggish and/or to have a lack the motivation for that healthier mindset that seems to come easier in the warmer months. While there’s nothing wrong with moving indoors, just remember how important connecting with nature and getting that Vitamin D is to your overall well-being. This could be the perfect chance to try a new winter activity—an enjoyable way to embrace the season and see it from a fresh perspective.

In warmer months the heat can often reduce your appetite, which may sound like a dream to you. But with a reduced appetite you might be getting less hydrating foods, which can leave your body without those much-needed electrolytes during a time of year where you may sweat a little more! On the bright side (no pun intended…), you may crave lighter meals, full of fruits and seasonal veggies. The availability of fresh, seasonal vegetables often depends on the temperatures in your region. Knowing where to find resources and distributors that provide such health foods can be of great benefit to you in any season. This might require a bit of exploration in your local area, but it can be an exciting opportunity to learn more about your community and surroundings.

Hormonal Fluctuations

This can be a surprising one, but hormonal fluctuations can also occur in the various seasons. With longer nights in fall and winter, your melatonin levels may increase, leaving you feeling more tired. You may also desire earlier bedtimes or have trouble getting out of bed in the mornings. As you may already know, achieving quality sleep that aligns naturally with your circadian rhythm plays a crucial role in supporting your immune system. Prioritizing restful sleep not only helps your body repair and rejuvenate but also strengthens its ability to fend off illnesses, keeping you healthier and more resilient throughout the seasons.

Seasonal hormonal changes can also affect ovulation and reproduction, growth, brain processes, metabolism, food-seeking behaviors and stress adaptation. Again, there is nothing unusual about these patterns, you may just need a little extra effort to adjust your mindset and your routines!

If you tend to experience noticeable hormonal fluctuations during certain seasons, it may be beneficial to seek additional guidance from a healthcare professional. Your practitioner can provide tailored recommendations, such as supplements, lifestyle adjustments, or holistic health strategies, to help support hormonal balance. Addressing these shifts can enhance your overall well-being and ensure you feel your best, no matter the season.

How do we thrive during seasonal shifts?

Maintaining peak health during seasonal transitions can be challenging, but by honoring these shifts and adjusting your fitness and nutrition to align with changes in light and temperature, you can harness nature’s rhythms to your advantage.

In winter, focus on rest and strength. 

Strength builds a solid foundation for the entire body and its framework. Try some of the following to ensure a strength focus:

  • Embrace winter walks. Walking outdoors connects us with the season’s crisp air and slower rhythms while offering light exercise.
  • Try indoor yoga or pilates. These lower-impact activities have wonderful benefits such as flexibility, strength, and alignment with the season. (It can also be fun and relaxing to set up your space for this exercise with the lights dimmed, some candles going, and calming music and/or oils being diffused. 
  • Try out new outdoor activities with friends, such as snowshoeing or ice skating for fresh air and a little cardio, too!

In the area of nutrition, consider the following:

  • Emphasize warming foods like soups, stews, roasted vegetables, and whole grains.
  • Choose seasonal produce: root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, beets), winter greens (kale, collards), and squashes.
  • Include healthy fats (avocado, nuts, olive oil) and warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric.
  • Stay hydrated by drinking herbal teas or warm water with lemon.

In spring, begin to focus on a more renewed sense of energy.

For your exercise, try the following:

  • Gradually increase intensity with dynamic workouts like running, cycling, or bodyweight circuits.
  • Focus on mobility and balance exercises to “wake up” your body after winter.
  • Try outdoor workouts to soak in the returning sunlight.

Thinking about nutrition, begin to incorporate more of the following:

  • Cleansing foods like leafy greens, sprouts, and citrus fruits.
  • Seasonal produce such as asparagus, peas, radishes, strawberries.
  • Lighter meals with salads, smoothies, and stir-fries.
  • Hydration via fresh, infused water (e.g., cucumber or mint).

In summer, set intentions to continue energizing and sustaining good habits.

Set intentions to continue energizing and sustaining good habits. Here’s where you can start,

  • Outdoor activities like swimming, hiking, and cycling.
  • Higher-energy workouts like HIIT or circuit training
  • Cooling practices like yoga or tai chi during hotter parts of the day and to balance the more intense workouts you may be doing

Too hot to think about food sometimes? Try the following for nutrition: 

  • Prioritize hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumbers, and berries.
  • Eat lighter, refreshing meals like grain salads, cold soups, and wraps.
  • Grill or lightly sauté seasonal veggies (zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers).
  • Replenish electrolytes naturally with coconut water or foods like bananas and leafy greens.

Come fall time, focus on grounding yourself and preparing for the months. 

With coolness in the air and less sunlight, focus on the following for some movement:

  • Transition to steady, grounding workouts like moderate cardio, strength training, or Pilates.
  • Flexibility and mobility to prevent stiffness as the weather cools
  • Enjoy outdoor activities like walking, jogging, or leaf-peeping hikes.

When thinking about meals, shift to the following:

  • Nourishing, grounding foods like roasted root vegetables, squashes, and hearty grains
  • Seasonal produce: apples, pears, pumpkins, Brussels sprouts
  • Warm up with hearty soups, stews, and spiced teas
  • Immune-boosting foods like garlic, ginger, and fermented foods

The following are some overall tips for each season and honoring the new rhythms they might bring.

  1. Think about adapting workout times. Are you typically a morning person? Great! In winter months, don’t fret if you feel the need to wait later in the day for your exercise to ensure more sunlight. In the warmer months, it may feel easier again to get back to morning routines with the daylight and to beat the heat and humidity of an outdoor workout!
  2. Try your best to sync with those Circadian Rhythms. Align your sleep and waking hours with the natural light patterns that come with each season.
  3. Listen to your body. As mentioned earlier on, the darker and colder months cause us to slow down and rest a bit more, and this is ok! We don’t have to stop moving completely, but it will look and feel different. Have faith in knowing we can once again increase activity as daylight and warmth return. 
  4. Practice Seasonal Mindfulness. Feel free to take time to reflect (maybe more than normal) as to how each season affects your energy. Adjust your routine accordingly, and have grace with yourself if it doesn’t feel quite like it “should” or how “it did” in the last season. 

Finally, focus on maintaining year-round consistency, even amid the seasonal shifts in temperature, weather, and mood. Instead of completely overhauling your movement and eating habits with each season, stay grounded in the intention of living seasonally. By embracing seasonal changes while keeping your core habits steady, you’ll find it easier to adapt and maintain a balanced lifestyle. Consistency not only builds resilience but also fosters a positive mindset, reducing the urge for “January Jumpstarts” each year. Remember, every small habit contributes to long-term success. Approach each season with intention, and you’ll set yourself up to feel your best all year-round!

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