Weather to Succeed

In a recent study, researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center found that women burn 10% less calories during winter than they do during summer months. The assumption, of course, is that women are more active during summer than during winter.

As I write this, it is rainy and wet outside. My daily walk certainly isn’t going to happen. What about the little calorie burners, like taking the compost out to the garden or taking out the garbage? Those things probably won’t happen when it’s pouring rain either.

I firmly believe that weather plays a huge role in how I feel and how successful I am at obtaining or maintaining an ideal weight. Weather affects mood and it affects opportunity to exercise.

Keeping a positive mood is very important to succeed in healthy living. If I’m depressed or discouraged, there usually doesn’t seem like much purpose to my working to achieve something. When I let moods and circumstances get the best of me, I want to stop trying. It’s interesting that weather can have such a strong effect on a person. It’s one of the things I can’t control either.

In fact, there are many things in life I can’t control, and weather is just a drop in the bucket. I look at successful people and admire them for having done something to overcome their obstacles. Certainly I can do the same. I can find a way to succeed when I am down, or when I don’t find enough opportunities to take the steps I need. I might not be able to control the weather, but I can control my determination to focus on the brighter days ahead.