Those infamous winter blahs are sometimes difficult to ward off

Winter months can be a difficult time to stay active. I think as an automatic default, people tend go into mini-hibernation during off-work hours in the winter. Those infamous winter blahs are sometimes difficult to ward off. But there are activities I enjoy to counter them and learn to enjoy the frosty weather.

I, for one, embrace the winter season. I replace complaining about the snow, wind and cold with activities I enjoy. For example, building a snowman with my kids is fun and gets me outside to enjoy the winter season instead of hiding from it. Oklahoma City snowmen can take on a persona of their own, especially when little ones are involved. We like creating the looks of our favorite movie characters. Not only is it a fun activity, but I even get a few visitors who drive by and admire my creation. When we’re done, we top off our hard work with a nice cup of hot chocolate.

My all-time favorite? Winter tanning. I don’t think anything takes my blues away more. Obviously sunny days are scarce in Oklahoma City during the winter season. My quick fix is to enjoy the summer-like activity of at-home tanning. I get a few benefits (such as the all-important vitamin D) that the sun offers, and it feels great.

Okay, sure, it’s not really sunny outside and maybe I can’t really lie out by the pool, but it sure feels like it when I’m in my tanning bed. After I discovered that sensible amounts of ultraviolet light rays help the body combat depression, heart disease and stroke, my interest was piqued.

When in my tanning bed, I get the benefit of the synthesis precursors in the skin that the UVB rays trigger. Exposure to these rays for only 20 minutes each day eliminates vitamin D deficiencies in the body without causing long-term damage to the skin.

For me, winter-time tanning keeps my spirits up, I get the UVB benefits, and I still feel just as confident about my winter look as I do my summer because I’m able to maintain a healthy glow year round!