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“I hate winter. It’s not just the ice, the shoveling, too many snow days, and long traffic-congested commutes. What I really hate is that my PMS becomes unbearable. From November to April, I dread those days before my period comes because I turn into Attila the Hun!“ So stated a weight-loss client of mine. She is not alone.
As the sun begins an earlier dip into evening darkness at this time of year, our mood and mental energy seem to dip with it. Known as the afternoon slump (or the brain-dead zone), most of us feel a stronger urge to be in bed with a pillow over our heads than to continue with our work obligations for another few hours.
Fatigue seems to be as ubiquitous as complaints about the weather. But it is especially prevalent during the holidays for obvious and not so obvious reasons. The obvious: buying, wrapping and sending presents, food shopping and preparation, decorating the house, travel or hosting guests, and so forth.
Adherents of high-protein/low-or no-carbohydrate diets have, to some extent, hijacked the discussion of whether we should still be eating carbohydrates. Indeed, for some militant followers, carbs are seen as leading only to brain and body decay, and are to be avoided at all costs. Well, maybe it is time to reconsider this attitude.
How many times have we said this to ourselves or others as we plan lunch or dinner? (Very few people are in the mood for anything except more sleep in the morning). Sometimes the “mood” for a particular type of ethnic cooking or a prime piece of beef is heightened because the meal is celebratory, or a respite between bouts of unrelenting work or home meal preparation.
