Whether you are aware of it or not, the winter doldrums affect us and our productivity. For most of us, we barely notice the change since it affects us so mildly, but we may feel our energy has been zapped. But up to 20% percent of us will feel noticeable fatigue, apathy, increased appetite, sleep problems, and/or mood changes. For 5% of us, the winter blues are severe enough to be medically diagnosed as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Interestingly, the incidence of SAD depends on your climate; only 1% of Floridians are affected while 10% of New Hampshire residents will suffer.

Aside from taking a week-long vacation in the tropics, what can we do about this? If the severity of your winter blues doesn’t warrant medical attention, there are a few quick and simple lifestyle changes you can make to increase your energy level this season.

Exercise Regularly

Engaging in some form of activity each day is the easiest way to manage your energy levels. Some find that exercising in the mornings can even be a good substitute for that daily coffee (although I’m not one of them!). If you can, try to squeeze in an outdoor walk during your lunch.

Rearrange Your Space

Declutter your working space so you have more room to work and declutter your home to feel fresh and organized. Consider replacing dark shades with light curtains. Another idea is to turn your desk so you face toward a window or open up those blinds once in a while.

Lighten Up

If you can’t get outside and there are no windows near your workspace, a decent alternative is an artificial blue light, or simply, switching to full-spectrum light bulbs. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year, light from specifically the blue part of the spectrum activates the areas in our brain that play a key role in our ability to process emotions. This means that handling emotional challenges that crop up throughout our day is easier and takes less out of us. Other studies have also shown that blue light can improve alertness and mental performance.

This post was originally published on the Intuit QuickBase Team Leadership blog.

The Biggest Loser

Establish a Sense of Urgency

The first episode usually involves a physical challenge, followed by medical tests. The physical challenge is something that most healthy individuals can do, such as run one mile. But carrying an excess of 100 pounds undoubtedly makes this challenge quite difficult and the contestants are faced with their first shock. This is followed by a series of medical tests that uncovers diabetes, high blood pressure, high body fat percentages, shortened life expectancy, and the general stress of the excess weight on their system. The impending crisis is staring them right in the face along with the fact that it can all be reversed if they act now.

Form a Powerful Guiding Coalition

Next, they meet their trainers, Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels, who act as strong and powerful leaders to guide their change effort. And they truly take that responsibility to heart. Additionally, all of the contestants live together in the same house and they work out together, forming a group that is working toward the same goal. Smaller teams of couples exist within the group (pink team, blue team, green team, etc.) who often work together during challenges and are sometimes grouped together during weigh-ins.

Creating a Vision

The change enacted by contestants of seasons past serves as proof of concept and a vision of the end goal. To make this more tangible, Biggest Loser alumni, now thin and fit, often visit the set for support and encouragement. The vision is not merely superficial; often you hear the trainers appeal to the contestant’s deeper motivations, such as “being able to play with their kids” and “being around to see their children grow up and get married.” The trainers also provide strategies for achieving that vision—teaching the contestants healthier substitutions for their usual snacks (cue Jell-O commercial) and creating habits of increasing daily activity.

Communicate the Vision

The trainers use multiple communication vehicles to reinforce their message:

• Jillian reminding contestants of their goal: “How bad do you want it?”
• Bob reappraising the situation: “I know it hurts, but I’m saving your life right now.”
• Bob’s quote on the wall: “Believe In Yourself. Trust The Process. Change Forever.”
• Jillian exclaiming when someone is ready to quit: “Puke, pass out, or die, but do not stop!”

It’s a tad dramatic, but it is reality television and it does remind them of the end goal.

Empower Others to Act on the Vision

The underlying reason the contestants have tried and failed in the past is certainly not due to lack of willpower. Clearly, because otherwise they wouldn’t last on this show. The obstacles to their success are removed one by one, week by week. It starts with providing knowledge, then attacking their limiting thought patterns, then teaching good habits, and usually progresses to deeper emotional issues that have roadblocked their progress in the past. “I can’t save you. You have to save yourself.”

Create Short-Term Wins

To say that the first few weeks of progress is dramatic is an understatement. The first weigh-in shows the female contestants losing ~20 pounds and the male contestants losing ~40 pounds. You can see the excitement and hope in their faces and it provides encouragement early on to push through and keep going.

Consolidate Improvements and Produce More Change

As the season progresses, challenges come up that reward contestants who resist temptation. The temptation challenges have a twist—on the surface it appears that giving in to temptation will earn them a reward but over the long run, those who resist are rewarded. Social pressure is strong in this aspect – those who give in to temptation are often criticized by the other contestants.

Institutionalize New Approaches

As the competition goes on, there are twists and turns that are designed to throw the contestant for a loop. As it gets down to the final four, the contestants have to finish up the challenge at home on their own. Those who learn and stick with the basic principles of adopting healthy habits are the most successful in overcoming the unexpected.

This post was originally published on the Intuit QuickBase Team Leadership Blog.

I decided to go for it. If I gave into an excuse this time, what’s to say I wouldn’t create more excuses when obstacles came up later on? I put on a hooded sweatshirt and headed out. I ran down the street, my CD player skipping and my sweatshirt getting heavier and heavier with each minute I was out there. By the time I finished my small loop, I definitely hadn’t gone any longer than a mile, but it felt like a monumental accomplishment.

For years after that run, I had no excuses. Of course, the “I don’t feel like it” moments came and went, but recalling the exhilaration of that first run provided ample motivation to make it through any hesitations.

Recalling an experience like this—where you have overcome something–can bring instant confidence and motivation when you need it most. Using this technique, you can inspire yourself, you can inspire a friend, you can inspire a coworker, and you can inspire your team.

Get started now:

• Think of a time when you accomplished something extraordinary. Recall the story from start to finish. Then, next time you are stressed about finishing a project on deadline or apprehensive about delivering a speech, think about that time. If you could do that, what is stopping you now?
• Think of five people who you are closest to. They can be coworkers, family, or friends. Write down about a time when they have accomplished something that impressed you or exceeded your expectations. Then share that with them. Either now, just because, or perhaps next time they are going through a difficult time. Don’t discount the power of this; your perception matters.
• Think about your team at work. When was the last time you accomplished something great together? Keep track of these moments. Celebrate them when they occur. If difficulties should arise or a pep talk is needed, call on these experiences.

What is your inspirational story?

This post was originally posted on the Intuit QuickBase Team Leadership Blog.

The course is on the single-track mountain biking trails at North Mecklenburg Park. The 5k consisted of one clockwise loop and the 10k was two clockwise loops. I run these trails often, so I was already familiar with the abundance of roots, the rocky sections, the steep hills, and the creek crossing. Fun stuff! Basically, this trail gives you a great workout even if you are trying to take it easy. Knowing the course beforehand really put me at ease.

What I was worried about was my new trail shoes. I had been running the trails in my old New Balance 991s and 993s but I recently discovered they were the culprit of my shin splints. After a particularly debilitating 12 mile effort on the trails two weeks ago, I decided to retire them immediately. So last week, I bought the lightweight New Balance Trail 101s, and promptly took them out for a 12 mile run. Running Warehouse recommended that I go half a size up, but I didn’t take that advice, and paid for it with a blister on my right pinky toe. I was worried about this since the blister still bothered me on the trails on Monday so I stuck a band-aid on it and also packed my Nike Frees (but hoping I wouldn’t have to use them and get trail dirt on them!). While the blister didn’t bother me, my calves did. Especially my right one, which is ironic because I was wearing a compression sleeve on my right leg (thanks to the aforementioned shin splints). In fact, I had a mild calf cramp going on for the entire 10k.

5K

The start line was in the parking lot and there was a serious bottleneck as we entered the trails. My only worry during this race was my numb feet—it felt strange to step on rocks and roots and not feel a thing. My socks were not nearly thick enough and my feet never really warmed up. My first mile came in at 9:36 (relatively speedy for me on these trails) because I was all caught up in trying to pass and trying not to get passed on these narrow trails. Apparently this was too fast as mile 2 and 3 came in somewhat slower, with an overall official 10:06 pace. This was good enough for a first place in my age group. I was thinking I was going to come in with a 10:00 pace so I am quite satisfied with this. This was a tough race though. Immediately after this race, I said to Chris, “ugh, I really don’t wanna do that again.” But some blue Powerade, PowerBar gel blasts, and strawberry fruit snacks later, I was ready to start the 10k. I also changed my socks to some thicker ones.

10K

I was freezing as we waited at the start line, but warmed up quickly once we got going. Even though I was dreading doing two more laps, the 10k race felt better and was more enjoyable for me, but I would say my performance wasn’t as good (I just blasted it out on the 5k, after all). Unlike the 5k (so crowded), after the first half mile I was running completely by myself. In a way, this kind of make it feel more like a jog/training run than a race. Aside from all the photographers and the nice people handing out cups of water, that is. Turns out I came in at a pace 1:10 slower than 5k, at 11:16. I’m proud I made it and I’m glad it’s over! But at the same time, I am looking forward to my next race. On a flat course.

If you run, add me on dailymile!

The day before the race, the weather called for icy rain/wintry mix. Thankfully, the precipitation stopped two hours before the start, but there were some deep puddles throughout the course nonetheless. I woke up extra early, at about 6 am and my breakfast was Cinnamon Roll flavored Cream of Wheat, with half a scoop of vanilla protein powder, a glass of diet iced tea, and then right before I left the house I had a piece of whole wheat toast with butter and strawberry preserves. Chris and I arrived on campus around 8:15 and there was plenty of free parking on campus at the West Deck and no road closures to deal with, which was nice.  We talked about my race strategy for a bit until 8:30 and then we made our way over to the start line. My biggest worry at this point was managing my energy (What if I am too fast in the first two miles and have to crawl over the finish line? What if I don’t go fast enough in the first mile and end up not giving it my all?).

Prior to the start, I picked up my chip, walked around the track three times, and went to the bathroom twice! I was actually starting to walk a fourth lap when they announced, “two minutes!” Eek! I turned right around and walked back over to the bleachers to hand my coat off to Chris. In my haste, I dropped my iPod in a puddle, and quickly had to mess with it at the start line as the gun went off. All in all, it was perfect timing because I was warmed up and ready to go, without having to stand around for too long.

Mile 1

The race started on the UNCC track, and we ran one loop couterclockwise before exiting the stadium and taking a left. I made an effort to run on the inside of the track and was pleasantly surprised that I did not have to claw my way to get over there! The first mile had two uphills. I passed a good amount of people on the first one–it was actually quite crowded around the turns–and I passed a few others on the second one. My goal was to run the first mile in 8:00-8:30 and was quite satisfied with 8:04.

Data junkies click through for more!

Mile 2

Mile 2 was the toughest part of the race by far. It starts off flat, but quickly we go through a steep downhill. My strategy on the downhills is to speed up so I am not wasting effort “braking.”  So I did just that and passed a few runners. Next, there is a short steep uphill as we turn left on to Cameron Blvd. On Cameron Blvd, there are two long uphills, followed by a brief downhill and another long but mild uphill on Mary Alexander. On the first uphill, I passed a few more people and I realized I was surrounded by 100% guys at this point. The short flat portion between the first two hills is the hardest and on the second uphill, I passed a guy walking. By the third hill, I was passed by a few people (found the ladies!), and was quite tempted to speed up. But my strategy for mile two was 9:00-9:30 so I relaxed when saw that I was right on track with 9:09.

Mile 3

I wanted to run the last mile somewhere in 7-7:30 but it ended up coming in at 8:03. This is because when I made my mile 3 strategy, I forgot that it starts with a hill. This is the last hill of the race, but I still didn’t want to run it much faster than a 9:00 pace. After the hill, there is some flat land until University Rd., which is made up of two downhills, and ends with a steep downhill as we turn on to Cameron Blvd. The short bit on Cameron Blvd required a strong push, because I was tired from sprinting the downhills.

Last Bit

The last turn on to the track is another steep downhill, and I reached a speed of 10.6 mph at this point. When I reached the track, I really felt like I could not go on. I kept my head down, eyes fixated on the track line, and put 100% of my concentration on picking up my feet as fast as I could. I was clearly spent at this point and this last .1 came in at a pace of 7:45. As I approached the finish line, I looked up and saw 26:07 on the clock. At this point, I knew I exceeded my goal of 27-28 and relaxed as I crossed the finish. My official chip time was 26:10.

So relieved with being done, I sat down on the wet bleachers until my legs were ready to quit acting like Jell-O. It was cold out, but it being my first race, I wanted to stick around to see the awards ceremony. It was nice to have some Starbucks coffee and bananas and oranges and even some chocolate to hold us over. There was quite a bit of swag being given out to random winners who completed a survey about the race, and my only complaint about this race is that this took forever! Chris and I were growing impatient and we nearly left, but I am glad we stuck around because they called my name for the 3rd place medal for my age group.

If you run, add me on dailymile.