Real men not only survive the winter months, they own them and make them work in their favor. Be it an extra cold day, a light snow drizzle or a full-blown snowstorm complete with howling wind and falling chunks of ice, you have to be prepared to face it full-on. Like the man we know you are.
The lack of motivation that stems from the so-called „winter blues” can keep you in bed longer and make you want to skip shaving. While the latter is a great way of growing your beard and emerging in spring as a rugged mountain beast (also protecting your face from the biting cold outside), you still need to keep those motivation levels up. And not by ingesting large amounts of whiskey. That only works if you’re stranded in the snow and you have to keep warm and the only thing at hand is a bottle of premium malt liqueur. No, you have to find the desire to get out of bed in the cold winter morning inside your handsome self. Because you’re your worst enemy, but also your best friend.
[adsense300gray]So how do we go about staying on top of our game when the sun is out for less than 6 hours? Pretty simple. Just move. When the alarm clock rings in the morning, stifle that upset groan and get up. Don’t wait those „five more minutes” because they will turn into five more hours and there goes half the day. (You could also get fired if you keep turning in late for work because you slept in. Just saying.)
Once you’re out of bed, darkness still looming outside your windows, shuffle off to the bathroom and wash your face with cold water. You’ll be up and running in no time. After you’re alert, reward yourself by holding your hands in warm water for a bit.
Get a few stretches going before you get dressed, you’ll need to shed the remaining sleep from your bones. The movement will also pump you up some more for the day that is starting to break by now. Grab a cup of coffee and a glass of OJ, have some toast and off you go. Listening to empowering music at this point is not mandatory, but advised.
Don’t avoid the cold. Embrace it like you would an old friend and take up a winter sport. If that won’t get you excited to get out of bed every day, we don’t know what will. A new activity (like skiing, snowboarding, hockey, even shoveling that pesky snow every day,) will automatically make you happier and less likely to laze around the house watching shows and binge eating. Speaking of which, don’t eat too much. It’ll just make you want to rest more and do even less.
Stay warm, stay happy and stay productive during this aggressive winter. She ain’t got nothing on you!
Photo credit: Eye of Judah