Given these trends, the seasonal “fat creep” seems inevitable – but it doesn’t have to be. You can fight back with these simple steps to rev up your metabolism. Read on for 10 ways to stoke up calorie burn in January and beyond.

Warm Up Your Breakfast

If cold cereal seems less than inspiring on chilly mornings, start your day with a steamy bowl of oatmeal topped with flaxseed instead, recommends Erin Palinski, RD. Eating breakfast, in general, has been shown to boost your metabolism by as much as 10 percent, and oatmeal, in particular, can rev calorie-burning capabilities. One cup of oatmeal contains 13 to 16 percent of your daily recommended intake of fiber, and your body burns up to 30 percent more calories digesting fiber than it does other nutrients because roughage takes such a long time to break down.

Make Cross Training More Fun

Sometimes the hardest thing is to stick to your workout routine during the winter, and one of the most important things to keep your metabolism revving is consistent activity. To fight off winter sloth, take advantage of seasonal activities. “Try dropping one gym workout a week and add a winter sport – ice skating, snowshoeing or skiing. It’s great to mix it up and you’ll get back to the gym with a real spring in your step!” says Gunnar Peterson, a celebrity trainer and spokesperson for Under Armour.

Drink Up to Fight Dryness

Sure, it’s easy to remember to rehydrate when you’re sweating buckets, but it’s equally important – if not more – to get your eight cups of water a day in winter because the dry air can increase your likelihood of dehydration, says Jim White, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios in Virginia Beach, Va. Being mildly dehydrated can slow your metabolism by 2 to 3 percent, according to researchers from the University of Utah. Why? Experts speculate that the rate at which your cells metabolize fat has to do with their size, and when they shrink from dehydration they become less efficient.

Hold Off On the Booze

Keep in mind that alcohol not only adds calories to your diet, but also slows down your body’s fat-burning capabilities. An American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that drinking can slow your metabolism by as much as 73 percent. “Plus, most people don’t make the best decisions about food when drinking and tend to skip their workout the next day,” says White, who advises sticking to a “two-glass class” rule.

Try Rye

Loaded with metabolism-boosting fiber, hearty rye bread might be better to eat than wheat when it comes to losing weight. Swedish researchers found that people who had rye bread for breakfast were less hungry later in the day than those who ate wheat bread. While fiber fills you up without weighing you down, researchers believe that part of the satiety of rye bread might be more mental than physical. The darker the bread, the fuller people expect to feel.

Pop a Fish Oil Pill

By now, the mood-boosting power of omega-3s in fish oil is a well-known way to help fight seasonal affective disorder but it may also give your metabolism a lift, says Palinski. Australian researchers found that in combination with exercise, fish oil can increase the activity of enzymes responsible for fat oxidation.

Sign Up for Spin Class

If the cold, dark days have cooled off your motivation to exercise, think about taking an indoor spin class. You can burn about 500 calories per 40-minute sweat session, and your body will continue to burn calories after class is over, thanks to the metabolism-boosting powers of intervals, which you perform when simulating hill climbs.

Dig in to Potatoes, Grains and Beans

Eating a diet rich in resistant starch – a type of dietary fiber found in many carbohydrate-rich foods such as potatoes, grains and beans – can help rev fat burning and reduce overall hunger. Your body doesn’t digest or absorb this supernutrient, so it does not contribute to body fat. Instead it’s fermented when it reaches the large intestine, which creates beneficial fatty acids that block the body’s ability to burn carbohydrates. One study found that replacing just 5.4 percent of total carbohydrate intake with resistant starch created a 20 to 30 percent increase in fat burning after a meal. Just be sure to avoid fatty extras like butter and cheese when preparing and watch your portions.

“Holiday depression is a very real problem for many people,” says psychiatrist Ryan Patel, DO, with Advocate Medical Group – Behavioral Health in Normal. Dr. Patel says there are a number of factors that contribute to the risk of the “blues” or even a more serious depression at this time of year. “There may be unreasonable expectations that something good will happen,” he says. “Sometimes these feelings could be shaped in early childhood, when the holidays were viewed as truly a magical time. Our adult experience can often be different than that.”

He notes that the season is further complicated by the fact that diminished amounts of sunlight during winter can affect one’s mood, even contributing to a condition called seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  The National Mental Health Association estimates that as many as one in six Americans suffer from SAD, with as many as 25% reporting “not feeling great” during the winter months.

“There may be other medical conditions contributing to depression as well,” says Dr. Patel, adding that a thorough medical evaluation by a psychiatrist is warranted if symptoms are severe or treatment response is not as expected.

Dr. Patel emphasizes that depression can be a serious problem, one that may require medical treatment. Awareness is the first step. “It’s important to be familiar with the signs and symptoms that may signal depression,” he says.  They include:

• Loss of appetite; weight gain or loss
• Irritability, explosive outbursts
• Lack of interest or enjoyment in activities, especially those that once brought pleasure
• Sleeplessness
• Lack of energy
• Poor concentration
• Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness

He says that professional help is indicated for those experiencing several of these symptoms for a period of about two weeks. “A call to your primary care physician should be the first step in getting the help needed,” he says.  “Your primary care physician may determine that a referral to a psychiatrist may be necessary”

Remember the “A” List
Dr. Patel emphasizes that there are ways to prevent and address holiday depression. He recommends following the “A” list for a healthy holiday:

• Awareness: be aware of how you’re feeling—knowing the signs of depression is very important
• Activity: physical exercise, especially, can help offset the effects of depression and stress
• Avoid isolation: seek out family and friends to talk to and spend time with
• Avoid excessive alcohol and caffeine.
• Ask for help: seek professional help if necessary. If you are suffering signs of depression, call your doctor. Health professionals are skilled at assisting people with depression and can connect you with resources that can help. If having thoughts of self-harm, call 911 or go to the nearest ER.

Getting enough vitamin D

It’s estimated that 30-50% of Americans suffer from vitamin D deficiency. The human body produces vitamin D, which is actually a hormone, when exposed to sunlight. However, during the winter, it is impossible to get enough exposure anywhere north of San Francisco or Philadelphia. People in southern states who slather on sun block or who stay indoors most of the time may not be getting enough either. The same goes for people who are housebound due to illness or whose work keeps them inside all day. In addition to lack of sunshine, other conditions may increase likelihood of vitamin D deficiency:

• Infants who are exclusively breastfed. Mother’s milk may not provide sufficient levels. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a supplement of 400 IU per day.
• Older adults. The elderly do not synthesize vitamin D as effectively as younger people and tend to spend more time indoors.
• People with dark skin. The pigment melanin can reduce the body’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight.
• Obese people. Body fat alters the way vitamin D is released into the system.

Choosing a vitamin D supplement

If you are shopping for a supplement, research suggests that vitamin D3 is more effective than vitamin D2. Food sources rich in vitamin D include cod liver oil, fatty fish (such as mackerel), eggs, and fortified milk and orange juice.

There is some debate over how much vitamin D to take. The National Institutes of Health recommends 600 IU per day for adults but some experts say that taking a supplement that contains between 1000-2000 IU can be beneficial. Its important to stay within the appropriate range–there is a toxicity risk at over 10,000 IU. The best way to determine how much you might need is to have your physician administer a simple blood test and make a recommendation based on the current level in you system.

Some people might be afraid or ashamed to go see a doctor to find out if they are depressed, but these days you can do a simple online interactive depression test that gives you instant results that can give you a quick sense of whether it’s something to be concerned about and make an appointment with a mental health professional to examine further.

The quick depression test is just 8 questions and is an accurate screening measure for depression. It takes most people less than a minute to complete. The longer 18-question depression quiz is the oldest one online and is a more thorough screen for depressive symptoms. It’s a little more accurate, and most people complete it in under 3 minutes.

Most people who have depression never seek treatment for it. So even if you’re among those people who have no interest in treatment, it’s still good to know, right?

Some common reasons people don’t seek out treatment for depression are cost, stigma or prejudice, and fear of what it might mean.

In terms of cost, most treatments are now covered by your health insurance, no questions asked. If you don’t have health insurance, you’re in a tougher situation, as our country has only a patchwork quilt of coverage for mental health issues, depending upon where you live. You may have access to a community mental health center, which will offer you very low-cost treatment options.

As for the prejudice or stigma that sometimes accompanies treatment of mental health concerns, by seeking treatment, you’re helping to reduce that prejudice. People will stop treatment mental health concerns as something different when more people acknowledge their battles (just as has been done with cancer).

Finally, what does it mean to be diagnosed with a mental health issue? Does it mean you’re “crazy?” Maybe. But so what? We’re all a little crazy, in our own and very different ways. Being diagnosed simply means that the concern you’re grappling with is really interfering with your life — so much so, going to work or school is just impossible any more. Having a normal relationship with a loved one is getting harder.

Confront your fear and let it drop away, because once you get treatment for depression, you will begin to feel better. Many people express feeling relieved after their first or second session of psychotherapy, and most people can feel significantly better in therapy after only 12 weeks.

Depression is a serious concern. Shouldn’t you treat it just as seriously? Take a free screening today, and give yourself a quick depression checkup:

• Quick Depression Test – 1 minute!
• Full Depression Test – 3 minutes

Some coffee drinkers may have a reason to smile — or keep smiling.

Drinking several cups a day is linked with a lower risk of depression, according to a new study that looked only at women. The benefit seems to start at two cups a day.

The study is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine .

But WebMd wrote an article on it, you can read the full article here.

As hot weather approaches, those with summer SAD sleep less, eat less, and lose weight. They’re extremely irritable and agitated. (It’s the reverse for people with winter SAD, who sleep more, gain weight and crave high-carb foods, and tend to slow down and socially hibernate from late fall to early spring.)

It is thought that summer-onset depression affects less than one  percent of the population, making it much rarer than the winter SAD that is experienced by about ten percent of the population.

In its most severe form, people with summer seasonal depression may be more at risk for suicide than cold-weather SAD. Suicide is more of a concern when people are depressed and agitated rather than depressed and lethargic.

Experts recommend staying cool with cold showers, air conditioning, swimming in cold lakes, or heading north to cooler climes if you can. Since people tend to drink more alcohol in the summer, be careful of your consumption, since alcohol is a depressant. Although these treatments for hot-weather depression are useful for some, they lack the staying power that light-box therapy has on winter SAD.

Summer SAD

A person with summer SAD can stay inside, crank up the AC, and darken the room but then go outside into the heat and it’s as if they’ve never been treated. Another idea is that it might be the light itself that’s aggravating sufferers, whether it’s the intensity of sunlight or the angle it’s coming at people.

Still another possibility is that there may be two kinds of warm-weather depression. There might be one group of people who have an unpleasant reaction to the heat and humidity — a discomfort with the climate.

For those that have their circadian rhythms misaligned during the summer, it might be because of the longer exposure to daylight is causing some vulnerable people to cue at dusk. Dusk is shortening the typical body clock and delays a person’s sleep-wake cycle thus triggering depression.

People with summer depression have been treated with a combination of getting early morning sunlight (30 to 60 minutes daily), which shifts the body clock forward, and low-dose melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep-wake cycles. Severe symptoms may also benefit from antidepressants.

These are some of the symptoms you can expect to find in most aspects of your life. If you find that you’re out of sorts during the winter, pay particular attention to winter-onset SAD. If you find that summer is especially difficult for you, see if your symptoms match up with summer-onset SAD. Finally, if you feel great during the spring and summer but other people find you difficult to deal with, check the symptoms for reverse SAD.

Winter-Onset SAD

Winter-Onset depression occurs during the winter months but not during the rest of the year. This type of SAD evokes a lack of interest in activities you would otherwise enjoy through the warm, summer months. Fatigue and low energy are often symptoms of Winter-Onset SAD, commonly leading to disinterest in completing simple tasks at work and at home. Oversleeping is also a common symptom, causing the affected to sleep in excess of anywhere from 2-8 hours more than they generally sleep during the summer. Additional symptoms include overeating – particularly sweet, starchy foods, resulting in weight gain as well as thoughts of suicide and overall despair.

Summer-Onset SAD

Summer-Onset SAD depression occurs during the summer, manifesting as an irritability and anxiety toward manners that wouldn’t normally trouble you during the winter months. Aggression, as well as a lack of caution in potentially dangerous situations are additional effects of Summer-Onset SAD, as is insomnia, causing you to sleep far fewer hours than you normally would during the winter. Increased sex drive or a lack of rational regarding appropriate sexual behaviour also occurs in many people affected with Summer-Onset SAD, in additional to poor appetite and weight loss. Thoughts of suicide and self harm are also common symptoms of this type of depression.

Reverse SAD

Reverse SAD manifests itself with an unnatural euphoria, hyperactivity, increased social interaction, an over enthusiastic attitude in addition to an overdeveloped sex drive. In extreme cases, people may take on an aggressive aspect to their personality, displaying the illusion that they are invulnerable to harm.

If you fit any of the above statements you may suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is suggested that you seek professional therapy. SAD light therapy lights are an effective treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder which can eliminate your physical symptoms and alleviate your depression over a course of short, daily exposures. However, should your physical symptoms disappear, but reform internally into feelings of guilt, it may be an indicator of a much larger problem and you are urged to seek medical attention promptly.

Tonight at the Avalon, David Lynch will speak alongside famed D.C. psychiatrist Dr. Norman Rosenthal, whose new book, Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation, serves as an introduction to the heady world of mantras and yogic flying.

For more information check out the article here.

Recognize Warnings

If you suffer regularly from depression, you may come to recognize your triggers. Often a slump into depression can be signaled by interruptions in sleep patterns, changes in appetite or loss of libido. If you are unsure of your triggers, consider keeping a detailed journal. Write in the journal even when your mood is good. Make a note of any change to your regular habits. You may notice a pattern emerging that indicates the start of low periods.

Diet and Exercise

Depressed people can often neglect themselves, leading to a negative cycle. A healthy diet and exercise is essential for maintaining good mental health. Aerobic exercise may help improve mood in mild, moderate and serious depression sufferers, according to a 2000 study in “Pyschosomatic Medicine,” a journal of biobehavioral medicine.

Sunlight

A lack of sunlight can be a factor in the development of depression. Melatonin, a neurotransmitter that helps control sleep, may overproduce in shorter, darker days, causing fatigue, lethargy and low mood. This may cause a certain depression known as seasonal affective disorder or SAD. The American Psychiatric Association recommends taking a walk outside or, in the case of extremely dull weather, investing in a light box if your depression seems to be triggered by seasonal changes.

Socialize

People with depression may feel isolated by their illness or even seek to isolate themselves. The National Institute of Mental Health recommends doing activities you enjoyed in your better moods and confiding in a friend or family member. Speak to those you can be sure will try to understand — being told to “snap out of it” or sweeping it under the carpet will not help you.

Sleep

Sleep is an important regulator of mood — too much or too little can cause mood to become low. Stick to a regular bedtime and rising time. If you have difficulty, ask your spouse or a family member to help until you can nail down a routine. Maintaining some semblance of normal daily function can help improve mood.

Read more.

Foods That Fight Depression

By Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD

Every once in a while we all get the blues, but certain foods can fight a case of melancholy. Here are three of the most potent, why they work, and how to gobble them up.

Beets
One cup supplies over 30 percent of your daily folate needs. A shortfall of this key nutrient has been known to trigger depression, mental fatigue and insomnia. In addition, several common medications can deplete your body’s supply of folate, including cholesterol-lowering drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, diabetes medications and birth control pills.
Fortunately fresh beets are in-season year round — just be sure to eat them fresh because the folate can plummet by up to 40 percent when cooked. Grate them for a delicious and colorful addition to garden salads; marinate freshly sliced beets in fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs; or add fresh beats to a smoothie or juice concoction along with fruit — it will add a gorgeous hue and a bit of sweetness without overpowering the flavor.

Sea Vegetables/Seaweed
There are thousands of varieties — the most common are kelp, nori, hijiki and wakame. Sea veggies are incredibly rich in iodine and one of the few sources of this important mineral. Too little can trigger hypo or hyperthyroidism, fatigue, weight gain and depression. Fortunately just a quarter cup packs over 275 percent of your daily iodine needs. To power up make a wakame, cucumber salad side dish using rice vinegar and fresh ginger; whip up a seaweed pizza — brush extra virgin olive oil on a whole grain flatbread crust and top with garlic, onions, fresh sliced tomato and nori; or make a Korean omelet by adding julienned nori, sesame seeds, green onions, shredded carrots and mushrooms to one whole organic egg and two whites.

Sunbathed Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a double whammy. They’re rich in selenium, which studies have linked deficiencies to a higher risk of depression, anxiety and fatigue. And they’re the only plant source of natural vitamin D, a key nutrient three out of four Americans don’t get enough of — a British study found that people suffering with seasonal affective disorder (which affects 11 million Americans) had an enhanced mood after consuming more vitamin D. New research shows that “sunning” mushrooms, which grow in the shade, after harvesting for just five minutes causes their vitamin D content to skyrocket — to over 800 percent of the Daily Value. To eat more replace half or all of the ground turkey in tacos, burritos, or stuffed peppers with finely chopped mushrooms sautéed in extra virgin olive oil; use two grilled Portobello mushrooms as a “bun” for a veggie or turkey burger; or instead of topping with fruit, make a savory bowl of morning oatmeal by adding sautéed wild mushrooms, garlic, scallions and rosemary.

Foods That Fight Depression