It’s officially winter in Boise, Idaho, and you know what that means: dead trees, dark skies, frigid wind and SAD.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) typically occurs during the winter season when one starts to feel symptoms of fatigue, depression, hopelessness and social withdrawal.
Whether you’ve dealt with harsh winters your whole life or you’re a Southern California native used to a bearable winter season, you are not alone in feeling symptoms of seasonal depression.
It can be especially hard in the winter for students to find motivation to exercise, go to class or even wake up at a reasonable time.
An essential solution to help improve a student’s success in the classroom is physical activity.
“There’s an abundance of evidence that supports that exercise actually can increase your mental acuity and your memory,” said BroncoFit Coordinator and Kinesiology Professor Kevin Blume. “It’s going to help you focus when you’re in class or studying, which is going to help you learn and retain information more effectively.”
Blume is also a certified personal trainer, licensed PE teacher and a dietitian nutritionist.
He adds that physical activity can aid a student to do well in school by improving sleep, reducing stress, increasing confidence and boosting energy.
Although many students are aware of the benefits that physical activity has on overall mental and physical health, it is common to struggle with where to start.
“The biggest thing is to start small with something that’s going to take you five or ten minutes,” said Blume. “It doesn’t need to be this really intricate workout, it can be as simple as going on a ten-minute walk outside.”
Blume also manages the BroncoFit Activities Program which offers around 50 one-credit sports and fitness-related classes every semester. The program’s wide range of classes allows any student to have the opportunity to take a workout-related class they’re interested in. Some of the most popular classes include golf, walking, yoga, pickleball and snowboarding.
Another reason depression can become more prominent in the winter is that most people get into the habit of staying inside as much as possible.
“Even though it’s cold outside this time of year, it’s important to get outside,” said Blume. “I think one of the biggest factors that can impact depression is spending too much time indoors, and there’s a lot of documented evidence that supports the benefit of getting outside on a daily basis.”
Staying physically active can be especially hard in the winter due to the colder weather. However, once you take some time to find a way to move your body that works best for you, the easier it will be to develop into a daily habit.
Lastly, finding a community to workout with can truly help a student’s motivation to get into the habit. This could be as simple as taking a BroncoFit class, developing a workout routine with your roommate or joining an intramural team.
“I find that if people are struggling with motivation to do things on their own a lot of times, having company can really be an effective way for staying consistent and having something to look forward to,” said Blume.
Let this winter be your time to find a fun new way to stay active, you won’t regret it!
