Fun in the Snow

I loved playing in the snow as a child; it was the best. You may have enjoyed the winter wonderland as a child, too. Why is it that the snow so often loses its magic for us adults? What happened over the years to make us enjoy the winter less?

Sure, we worry about how bad the roads are going to be, and we are the ones who have to shovel the driveway. But why can’t we reclaim a bit of the magic? 

Take a minute to think about how you can enjoy the snow this year. You might have to get creative, so consider anything you loved as a child.

Let's look at a few ideas to inspire you! 

Make a Snow Angel

Making a snow angel is a quick way to enjoy the snow, but a mystery snow angel is even more fun. Once, my mom woke up to a mystery snow angel in her driveway. A friend had crept down the narrow tire tracks without making any footprints and leapt off the tracks to make the snow angel. How fun to wake up to a mystery snow angel.

Have a Snowball Fight

Organizing a planned snow battle or playfully tossing a snowball at a loved one can be lots of fun. If you are surprising someone, be sure they will appreciate it. They will likely view it as an invitation to throw some back, so be prepared for lots of laughter and maybe even a stray snowball in your face. 

Sledding or Tubing

There are many great hills in the area where you can go sledding. Blackwell's tubing hill can be especially fun for the whole family. The forest preserve is also a great place for other winter activities. Check out what you can do at the forest preserves this year at their Winter Fun Page. 

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Understanding the Pull

The holidays will be here before we know it, and there's nothing wrong with a sweet treat! It's part of many people's tradition to bake or buy special desserts. It is a good idea, however, to make conscious choices about what desserts you enjoy - rather than doing so on autopilot.

Stress, sadness, boredom—these emotions can sneak up and quietly drive us toward the snack cabinet. We often reach for sweet treats to comfort ourselves when we're feeling overwhelmed, even if we're not physically hungry.

While it may offer temporary relief, this doesn't address the real need that is driving the craving. The sugar rush may light up your dopamine circuits briefly, but the stress often returns and may be accompanied by guilt. Between the stress and sweet treats of the holidays, there are plenty of opportunities to eat mindlessly in ways we might regret.

Understanding what’s really going on can help you respond in a way that is both self-compassionate and empowering. Knowing when we are vulnerable to making less-than-ideal choices about food is a great step to creating a healthy relationship with the treats of the holidays. 

Let's explore this together and see how we can apply it to our lives.

Building Awareness

Self-awareness is the first step in interrupting the emotional eating cycle. Learning to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger is a valuable skill to develop. So, before you reach for that snack, ask yourself...

• Am I stressed, lonely, tired, anxious, or bored?

• When did I last eat - and was it satisfying?

• Am I trying to soothe an emotion, or fuel my body?

Still Not Sure?

Here are a few clues identified by the Mayo Clinic to help distinguish between physical and emotional hunger...

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Sleep isn't a Luxury

In today’s culture, we glorify productivity while downplaying the importance of rest. In fact, being sleep-deprived is often worn like a badge of honor.  

But rest isn’t wasted time - it’s one of the most important things you can do for your body, your mind, and your overall wellness. Sleep is essential for the neurological, endocrine, immune, musculoskeletal, and digestive systems. When we honor sleep, we support the systems that help us thrive. 

We need to stop treating rest like a reward for productivity - instead of a prerequisite for it. It isn’t a luxury; it’s a biological necessity. 

Let's shift our perspective on sleep and realize it is an important task we need to prioritize every day. 

Is Sleep a Priority?

You may know sleep is good for your health, but do you personally value it? Is it important enough to put ahead of other priorities?  

In one study, researchers put a group of people in a stimulus-free room with no clock for 14-24 hours daily. Subjects didn’t know when they went to bed or woke up. Participants slept an average of 12-20 hours the first couple of nights. Over a few days, the participants' sleep began to average approximately 8 hours a night.

How long do you think you would have slept?

Are You Getting Enough?

Here is an experiment you can do to determine how much sleep your body needs. It involves testing your reaction time. 

Here’s how...

• Each morning at the same time after waking up, take the reaction time test here https://www.humanbenchmark.com/tests/reactiontime.
• Make a note of your score each day.
• Try moving your bedtime up by 30 minutes on the fourth day. Continue with that amount of sleep for 3 days, checking your reaction time each morning.
• Notice if your score is significantly different with more sleep. Pay attention to how you feel throughout the day. How is your energy level? Is your mental functioning better?
• After a few days, move your bedtime up another 30 minutes. Pay attention to your reaction times and how you feel.
• Repeat the steps in this experiment again until you find a bedtime that seems ideal for you.  

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Water Alone Doesn't Hydrate

Few things have as profound an impact on your health as proper hydration. Prioritizing it will help your digestion, energy levels, blood volume, performance, skin, and emotional well-being. Without water, you starve every cell in your body, preventing them from working at their best.  However, hydration involves more than just drinking water.

Since the fluids in your body aren't made up of straight H2O, the water you drink must have minerals in it. Water filtering systems typically strip away most minerals. If you are drinking plain water (especially if you have a lot of it), you can dilute the complex mineral-rich fluids in your body.  

There are a few signs you can look for that may indicate your level of hydration. You are likely drinking way too much plain water if the color of your urine is super light (almost clear). When you are hydrated, you often actually need to use the bathroom much less. Four to five trips to the bathroom each day without waking up at night is pretty standard.

Let's explore why hydration is important and how you can get a handle on your's. 

Dehydration's Impact   

Dr. Hyman explains, “Water is so essential for our brains that a loss of just 1-2% can significantly impact our cognitive function, making it harder to focus, concentrate, make decisions, or even connect with others.”

Proper hydration impacts the following areas...

• Immune system - hydration boosts your immune system and can help prevent infections.
• Nutrients to cells - water helps deliver vitamins and minerals throughout your body.
• Kidney & liver function - staying hydrated is vital in eliminating waste from your cells. This is crucial for the health of your kidneys and liver. 
• Weight regulation - water boosts metabolism, increases satiation, and raises sympathetic nervous system activity.  
• Brain function - adequate hydration increases sleep quality, improves mood, and sharpens attention, memory, cognition, and ability to concentrate.
• Joints & skin - having enough water in your system keeps joints lubricated and skin supple.
• Prevention - Staying hydrated can help prevent headaches, irregular periods, and constipation. It helps regulate acid levels in the bloodstream and lowers your risk of anemia and heart attacks.

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