Thanks to the time change recently, it’s easy to feel like this most evenings:

And while it’s true that there’s something to be said for fall and winter months being a time to slow down a bit and cozy up, we can’t exactly be calling it a night at 5:27 p.m. every evening (as nice as that sounds some days…).

It’s easy to want to slip into a more relaxed (and less productive and energized) few months, turning to warm beverages (and glasses of red wine) along with heavier-than-usual comfort foods to get us through. But luckily there are a few pretty easy things we can do to keep ourselves feeling more like, well, ourselves despite the lack of sunlight:

• Let the light in. Rather than closing your curtains and going into full-on hibernation mode, let as much natural light — and even dark, night sky, too — into your home as possible.
• Keep your warm weather sleep schedule. It 100% feels like your body needs more rest during these dark months, but it actually doesn’t. And while it can be increasingly harder to get out of bed as it gets colder and darker, fight the urge to hit snooze and start your day. (I teach 6 a.m. Pure Barre classes a few days a week if you’d like a morning activity to help you have a reason to get up!) 🙂 I know that personally I feel so much better if I go ahead and get up and do SOMETHING productive, whether it’s taking or teaching Pure Barre or doing some work around the house or chipping away at some Beautycounter to-do list items. It can be so tempting to stay in bed, but I’m always glad when I get moving at my usual time.
• Move daily. Keep exercising during the winter months to help keep your energy levels up. Your go-to activity might need to change a bit due to both cold weather and safety with it getting dark so early, but look for ways to switch it up that you’ll enjoy. (Pure Barre‘s a great wintertime option. Just saying…)
• Soak up sunlight. In addition to keeping your curtains open, try to get outside for at least a little while each day to get an extra dose of that vitamin D to keep you feeling more energized.
• Drink up! (Water, that is.) Rather than making wine a main
  “hydration” source during these cold weather months (I am absolutely guilty of falling into a wine-every-night routine, which isn’t great…), keep your water intake high. I NEED to get better about this one right now, for sure. I know I haven’t been drinking enough water lately and need to change that.
• Don’t let up on the veggies. Go-to warm weather menu items like smoothies and salads often don’t sound as appealing when it’s cold out, but getting as many fresh fruits and especially vegetables as possible will help keep that sluggish wintery feeling at bay. Look for ways to prepare winter vegetables (soups, roasted veggies, stir fry dishes, etc.) that let you incorporate produce in a way that feels right for the season. (Here’s a favorite veggie soup recipe at our house!)